Do You Think It's Alright?
by gah-luvcali
Summary: By gahlinda & luvcali76. Beginning in the epi of the same name, Hyde goes crazy at the sight of Jackie in a wedding dress, but can they control their urges long enough to make it down the aisle? THE FINALE!
1. Breathe

**Do You Think It's Alright?**

**A/N:** A Wedding Dress! Smut! Drama! Betrayal! True Love! Male Strippers! Fluffycakes?

This is the first chapter of a new J/H series by gah-linda and luvcali76 that will be the most original, one of a kind fanfic you've ever read, or your money back.

All chapter titles are songs from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. And it means something, so pay attention. Hehe.

Reviews are better than a naked Hyde tied to the bed…so send them!

**Breathe**

It was the end of a heavenly Sunday afternoon when Hyde and Donna stormed through the mall, prepared to give their significant others hell.

"How could you send her, Donna!" He practically yelled. "Do you even know what I'm going to have to put up with now?" He pitched his voice to impersonate Jackie. "Steven, when are we gonna get married? Steven, when are you gonna get me a ring? We should have pink and purple ponies at our wedding, Steven. Gah!" He glared at Donna. "I swear, if she's obsessing about wedding dresses again, I'm going to kill you, girl or not." The tall redhead just laughed at his threat until they caught sight of Eric and Jackie, standing together in wedding clothes.

"What the _hell_?" Donna shouted, "I cannot believe what I'm seeing." She stared at Eric, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"I know. Look, shoulders!" Eric brushed his hands proudly over the arms of his tuxedo jacket, not noticing until it was too late that Donna was upset.

"Eric, this was supposed to be our time," her anger seemed to fade into sadness as she watched Eric happily shop with Jackie when he could hardly stomach looking over silverware with her. Sighing in resignation, she turned and fled from the store, followed anxiously by Eric, who had to pry himself out of the jacket.

"Okay, Steven," Jackie breathed sadly when both Eric and Donna were gone, "I know I promised I wouldn't do any wedding stuff, and I know you're probably really mad, so just go ahead and yell." She thrust out her lower lip and waited for his anger, surprised when it never came.

Instead of yelling, Hyde just stared at Jackie as Eric ran after Donna; his eyes raked over her small frame, covered in the white lacy material of a wedding gown, and up to her face, glowing softly even as her lips curved into a delicate pout. _Breathe, man_, he thought to himself. The words left his mouth before he knew what he was saying.

"You're beautiful."

When her pout twisted into a happy smile, he felt the wind knocked out of his body, and as she babbled on about _their_ wedding, it never occurred to him that he should be annoyed. Without a second thought, he threw her prattling form over his shoulder—as he had done so many times before—and carried her to the nearest dressing room, locking them both inside before he pushed her up against a wall. Slowly, his lips descended on hers, barely brushing flesh against flesh at first before becoming heated.

Jackie smiled against his mouth, pleased beyond words to his reaction. She had expected to get locked in a dressing room and left at the mall, so the fact that Hyde wanted to kiss her, the fact that Hyde found her beautiful in a wedding dress—_beautiful_—gave her hope for their future wedded bliss. Throwing her head back against the wall, she tried to focus on the feel of his lips on her neck and his hands cupping her breasts, even as she felt giddy butterflies in her stomach that had nothing to do with physical sensations.

"Oh Steven. I knew you'd come around," she whispered softly.

Consciously wanting to both reward and entice him, Jackie met his lips again and began to smooth her hands over his broad chest and down to his pot leaf belt buckle. Throwing wedding catalogues at him obviously wasn't going to make him marry her, but after seeing his reaction to the sight of her in a wedding gown, she thought that maybe if she showed him what the benefits could be? Working quickly, aware that she needed to hurry or risk being caught by a helpful sales clerk, she opened the buckle and the front of Hyde's jeans, revealing black boxers that concealed his impressive erection. Using all the strength in her body, she changed their positions, forcing Hyde up against the wall as her fingers trailed over him.

Hyde's head rolled back and hit the wall with a dull thud, but he was too caught up in the sensations of Jackie touching him to notice. As her hand reached into his boxers and took his hard shaft between her fingers, he sucked in a harsh breath and willed himself to be quiet in the semi-public arena. The familiar sensation of Jackie stroking him caused his hips to buck into her hand, and the feather-light kisses that she dropped on his neck had him straining even harder towards some kind of release. When the pressure stopped, he opened his eyes, annoyed, only to find that Jackie was slowly sinking to her knees in front of him, white dress circling around her kneeling form.

He couldn't contain the groan that tore through his body at the thought of what Jackie was about to do, and when his boxers joined his jeans around his ankles, his head hit the flimsy dressing room wall again, causing the whole room to shake. Glancing down at her, he was taken aback by her beautiful eyes staring up at him while the tip of his erection rested a fraction of an inch away from her luscious lips. She had never done this. Never. Not for Kelso, not for him, not for some other guy he didn't want to know about. He'd pressed her. Practically begged her. Licked her slit until she was delirious beneath him and his jaw ached with effort. And all he really had to do was tell her she was gorgeous in a wedding dress? How could one girl be so simple and yet so confusing?

As her tongue snaked out and gave a gentle lick on the head, Hyde reminded himself again to breathe. He could see confusion on Jackie's face when she looked up at him again, meeting his eyes while the tip of his shaft pressed against her lips.

"Tell me what to do, Steven," she whispered up to him, "I wanna make you come, baby." He nodded, and began to speak quietly, ever vigilant of being heard by someone else in the store.

"Keep holding it like you are and lick around the tip, like you were doing before, but harder." A quiet groan filled the air as Jackie treated him like a lollipop, beginning to swirl her tongue in different patterns as his deep breaths turned into panting. "Now take the head in your mouth." She looked up at him warily for a moment, and he spoke a little more forcefully. "Do it, baby. Just the tip, just like that, now suck on it." The room grew quiet as she suckled the tip of his penis, and Jackie found herself enjoying the power she had over him: varying pressures and flicks of her tongue caused him the pant, groan, and strain his muscles against her.

Jackie stiffened slightly when Steven's hands left their position on the wall behind him to tangle in her hair, but when she felt only his desire to run his fingers through her silky strands, she relaxed again and sucked hard.

"Oh, fuck Jackie. Take it deeper, deeper baby." Once again, she felt worried by his instruction, but he gave her little choice in the matter when he pulled her head down over him, forcing her to take another inch into her mouth. She almost pulled away before she remembered that she needed to do this for him, she wanted him to come in her mouth while she knelt at his feet in a wedding dress. After doing this, how could he _not_ marry her? His hands remained on her head, gently guiding her back and forth over a few inches. "Suck harder," he panted quietly, guiding her head further down his shaft with every stroke. Jackie pulled away from him for a moment, gasping for air and shaking her head to indicate that she wanted to move on her own. Kissing the tip, she looked up into Hyde's smoldering eyes.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful, Steven?" She asked coyly, breathing warm air over him and making him shudder as he struggled out an answer.

"So beautiful, baby." Jackie smiled and slid her tongue up and down his shaft.

"You like me in a wedding dress?" This time, her breath was cold and it sent shivers up his spine; all he could do was nod and groan.

She sunk her head back down on her own and held his eyes as his shaft disappeared into her mouth again, trying to radiate her desire to please him. This time, his hips thrust slightly into her while she bobbed her head and worked him deeper into her mouth.

"If this is what marriage does to you, count me in," he whispered quietly, barely aware of his own words. He began to lose control quickly while staring into her wide eyes, and he barely choked out a warning before he started to come in her mouth. Horrified, and wanting more than anything to make this a pleasant experience for her, he tried to pull out, but her hands reached behind him and pulled his hips further into her face, swallowing every drop of salty liquid that he spilled into her mouth.

Panting harshly, Hyde glanced down at Jackie, still kneeling on the floor below him, smiling up at him knowingly. He briefly wondered what she thought she knew, but pushed the thought from his mind and pulled her up towards him and kissed her again, tasting himself on her as he whispered words of love that he rarely felt comfortable enough to say. Breathing in the sweet smell of her hair, he missed the grin on her face that said she was currently planning the color scheme for their wedding reception.

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Later that day, Hyde sat in the basement with Fez and Kelso, finishing the remnants of a joint and listening quietly as screams faded into the opening chords of 'Breathe.'

"So, anyways," Kelso spoke, as though he had just been interrupted, "Brooke finally agreed to let me take her out, since we're going to that baby class together anyways. Do you think it's alright to take her to the playground? I mean, I figure kids love playgrounds, and she's got a kid inside of her…so she's gotta love it, right?" He grinned goofily, waiting for Hyde's answer, when they all heard a noise coming from the kitchen and turned to see Eric and Donna coming down the stairs hand in hand.

"So I take it you two made up?" Hyde grinned, Kelso's question forgotten as he remembered how pissed off Donna had been at Eric's stunt with the silverware. Donna just rolled her eyes.

"Yes." She glanced at Eric and smiled happily. "Of course. So, do you forgive me for getting Jackie involved in the wedding and giving her the excuse to look 'beautiful' in a wedding dress?" The smirk on her face told Hyde that she knew too much. "Or, you know, beautiful on her knees in a wedding dress in the dressing room at Halverson's?" Yeah, _way_ too much. Hyde's eyes widened and he was about to reply when Jackie came prancing in the door. She gave a brilliant smile to everyone in the room and then plopped down on Hyde's lap.

"Everyone, Steven and I have an important announcement to make! We're getting married!" She squealed her announcement and threw her arms around Hyde's neck, bringing his head towards her chest and not noticing the horrified look on his face. "So, Steven, I was thinking that for our wedding, we would have lavender table settings and mmff?" Hyde's hand slapped over Jackie's mouth.

"Jackie, we are _not_ getting married." Jackie turned wide, angry eyes on him.

"What! In the dressing room, you said?" Hyde quickly cut her off, glaring at her angrily.

"My room. Now!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room.

"Uh-oh gang. Looks like Jackie's gonna be put on probation again," Eric joked in a sing-song voice, causing everyone to giggle.

Once inside the room, Hyde turned to her. "Jackie! I don't know what the hell you think happened at the mall, but we are _not_ getting married." Jackie glared at him, furious. Had she rewarded him in the dressing room for nothing? It dawned on her that maybe his comment about marriage had less to do with the dress she was wearing and more to do with what she was doing.

"So you didn't think I was beautiful in my dress?" Her lips curved into a pout and she looked up at him through her eyelashes, willing tears to collect in her eyes.

"Jackie?" Hyde began, annoyed, but stopped when he saw her crying. He continued in a softer voice, "of course you looked beautiful, but that doesn't mean?" Slowly, Jackie popped the buttons on Hyde's fly and slid her hand inside.

"Come on, Steven." She was smiling at him now, pleased with his reaction to her.

"Jackie, I said no." The words came out with little force as Jackie wrapped her hand around him, and when he tried to argue again, he was cut off by the press of Jackie's lips against his. Slowly, her mouth made a trail down his neck and she pulled off his shirt as her kisses fell further south. On her knees in front of him once again, Jackie looked up at Hyde as she freed his erection from his pants.

"Do you want this, Steven?" He nodded surely, unable to put together words as Jackie began to trail her tongue lightly over him.

"And do you want to marry me?" He looked less sure about that question, so she decided to elaborate. "If you said yes to that one, you know you'd get a lot more of this, right?" To accent her point, she sucked hard at the head of his shaft, smiling as he moved against her face. "Do you want a lot more of this, baby?" She asked quietly, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

Hyde closed his eyes tightly, willing her mouth to close over him again. "God, yes. Jackie." She smiled to herself as his hands curved around the back of her head, forcing himself deeper into her mouth. As he felt himself surrounded by the wet heat of her throat, he idly thought that she had gotten awfully good at this pretty quickly, but he quickly lost the ability to think about anything beyond the way she worked her mouth over him.

When the two emerged from Hyde's room a short while later, both flushed and satisfied, the eyes of everyone in the room turned to look at them.

"Everyone, we're getting married." To everyone's surprise, it was Hyde who said the matter-of-fact words almost happily, and Jackie beamed at him before turning back to the group.

"I'll have invitations soon, and Steven, you have to buy me a ring, don't forget!" Jackie practically bounced over to Donna, taking her hand and pulling her from the basement, claiming the need for wedding talk.

"Dude, you're getting married?" Eric asked once the girls had left.

"What can I say, man? Jackie can be pretty damn persuasive." He took a deep breath and sat back in his chair, smiling.

Kelso glared at Hyde from his spot on the couch, fairly certain that he understood the method of Jackie's persuasion. His first thought was that maybe if Jackie had tried to persuade him like that, he never would have run off to California. His second thought, and the one that concerned him more, was that Hyde wasn't really serious about marrying Jackie at all. If it took some kind of sex to get him interested, how serious could he really be? He was pretty sure that if he were in Hyde's shoes, he'd be using her for sex. But he wasn't in Hyde's shoes, and that meant it was up to him to warn Jackie.

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**A/N2**: PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks for reading!


	2. Run Rabbit Run

**A/N: **Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed! This is going to be a wild ride, but we promise that there's a real point to it all. We just love Jackie and Hyde way too much for there not to be! Oh, and circles are in script format because circles are special and sacred and should be treated as such. Don't you agree?

Reviews are better than a naked Hyde wrapped in a big, red bow... so please send them!

**Run, Rabbit, Run**

_Foreman Basement, 3:37pm_

_April 21, 1979 (three weeks later)_

Hyde looked up from his chair as the basement door flung open, revealing his fiancé juggling an armload of bridal magazines. Jackie looked up at him and gave a little pout that spurred him to walk over and relieve her of a large stack.

"Don't you already have a ton of these things stashed under my bed?" he questioned warily.

"Duh, Steven, those are old." Jackie took his free hand and pulled him back to his bedroom. Sitting on the edge of his cot, she opened one. "Now tell me what you think about these flowers." Hyde's eyes widened in terror as he backed away from her.

"Oh, fine Steven, we don't have to talk about the flowers. Can you at least come look at these rings?" She rifled through the pile and pulled out another magazine, easily opening to a dog-eared page. Hyde walked over to the cot and stood hunched over to see the glossy pages. "I want a band like this," she pointed to a picture before turning a few pages, "and a cut like this," she pointed to a different picture. Hyde just rolled his eyes. "And I want you to propose at the Vineyard." He stared at her blankly. "On one knee." Hyde rolled his eyes at her again.

"How about I get you a ring I can afford and you just accept it?"

"But, Steven. The size of a girl's diamond is directly proportional to how much her fiancé loves her! And you can't stick me with some crappy ring and a crappy proposal! What will I tell my grandchildren!"

"That's such a load of crap, Jackie. The size of a girl's diamond is directly proportional to how much money her poor sap of a fiancé can afford to spend. So you'll just take what you get and be happy with it."

"Look here, YOU!" Jackie jumped up and got right in his face. "You knew what I was going to want when you agreed to marry me, so you can't back out now like some cheap…present hater!" Hyde rolled his eyes at her.

"Jackie. Why don't you just let me do it my own way, in my own time?" Jackie pouted up at him and then got a sly smile on her face as she stood and slowly backed him up against a wall.

"Will that be soon, baby?" She asked, leaning into him, placing one hand over his crotch and beginning to slowly rub. Hyde nodded his head as Jackie eased down his fly and pushed her hand inside to wrap around his straining erection. Quickly, he pushed his jeans down and kicked them across the room while she pulled off his shirt, kissing his neck and running her hands down to grasp his manhood. She was about to sink to her knees to indulge him in what she assumed was his favorite activity when she felt him pulling down the zipper on the back of her dress. Before she could even react, Jackie found herself stripped out of the dress and pressed into the nearby wall in her underwear. She gasped loudly as Hyde pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue pushing insistently into her mouth and almost forcing her to respond.

As their lips moved together, tongues twining erotically, Hyde worked her panties down her legs and slid his fingers into her damp folds. He expertly manipulated her clit and slid two fingers into her core, rubbing her so she writhed and moaned against him. Suddenly, his movements stopped and he lifted her slightly, preparing to slide his hardness into her. Jackie gradually became aware of what he was planning and quickly pushed him away, leading him to the bed.

Stretching out on the bed, Jackie beckoned to Hyde, using one hand to stimulate herself as he positioned himself above her, taking a moment to lick at her breasts before kneading fingers on her back urged her to turn over onto her stomach. He had gotten her half way over when Jackie interrupted him.

"Steven, what do you think you're doing?" He smirked and leaned over her body to whisper in her ear.

"A different position, baby." Hyde was pushing into her when Jackie suddenly gathered her strength and freed herself from his grasp, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"You know I don't like that," she accused. "It's gross! Why would you want to have sex like animals when you can make love?" Her eyes were hard and they seemed to pierce Hyde's skull. He could feel his erection shrink and got out of bed to pull on his clothes. Practically shaking with anger and sexual frustration as he zipped up his pants, Hyde glared back at her.

"Because it's always the same, Jackie. It's like you want to make sex as boring as possible! If it's boring and missionary, you think it's making love, but if you're actually enjoying it and doing something different, it's wrong?" He glared at her. "How can you want to marry me when you clearly don't even want me?" Hyde shook his head, hiding his bruised ego behind anger and sunglasses. "I have to go to work. I'll catch you later." Jackie sat on Hyde's bed long after he was gone, trying to figure out where her plan had gone wrong.

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_Foreman Porch, 10:45pm_

_April 21, 1979_

Jackie and Donna sat in the dark on the Foreman's front porch as Jackie spilled the lurid details of her plot to marry Steven.

"So wait, let me get this straight. You got Hyde to agree to _marry_ you ... with a blow job?" She stared at Jackie in disbelief, idly wondering why Hyde had caved to something so simple.

"Yep! Mm-hm!" Jackie's smile was triumphant and Donna narrowed her eyes at the girl. For a while, it had seemed like Jackie was really maturing because of her relationship with Hyde, but apparently she was back to square one, now.

"Well if that doesn't just shout romance, then I don't know what does!" Jackie narrowed her eyes at Donna's sarcasm before smacking the taller girl on the shoulder.

"Donna, deep, _way_ deep, down inside, Steven _wanted_ to marry me. He just needed a little push, that's all."

"_That's all_, she says," Donna spoke towards the ceiling. Turning back to Jackie, she let her disgust show. "Jackie, that's _terrible_! God, I think you just single handedly pushed the women's movement back, like, twenty years!" Jackie smirked at her.

"No, that was the deep voices and hairy armpits that did that." Donna rolled her eyes, but stayed on topic.

"Jackie, it's just not right to manipulate him like that."

"Donna, women use sex all the time to control men. Some of us are just better at it than others, and you're just jealous because you used it and held out on Eric and all you got was ...Eric."

"Whatever." Donna sat thoughtfully for a moment. "What I don't get is why that one blow job made him crumble? I mean, why didn't he just cave before?"

"Well, I ...hadn't actually...done it before," Jackie replied sheepishly. Donna almost laughed out loud at the thought.

"Wait, you've been with Hyde for how long now and you've never..." Her tone was laced with disbelief.

"Not until that day at the wedding shop."

"Oh!" Donna nodded her head, finally understanding why Hyde had agreed to marry her. Cocking her head curiously, she asked, "Why didn't you before?"

"Because...I just thought it would be gross." Donna laughed, wondering how a girl that dated the two biggest man whores in Point Place could be such a prude.

"And was it?"

"No, it was actually really cool." She sounded almost aroused. "God, the power made me so hot." Donna laughed at her friend.

"No, Jackie, I mean did you LIKE it. Okay, power trips aside, don't you just like_ pleasing_ him? I mean, don't you like _being_ with him? You know…"

"No. I _don't_ know. What do you mean?"

"SEX! Jackie. Do you like having sex with him?"

"Well it's much better than doin' it with Michael and his _Pink Floyd_." She shook her head at the memory of Kelso's one-minute sex skills. "Moron."

"And Hyde?" Jackie groaned at Donna's question.

"Everything was fine until today. It's like, ever since that stupid blow job, he wants...other stuff now."

"Oh crap. Did the guys go to Sticky Theater again and watch one of those movies?"

"_No_. We were doing it and he tried to," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "turn me around." At first Donna cocked her head in confusion, and then nodded in understanding.

"You mean like doggy style?"

"Ew, Donna. I hate that term."

"Well so do I, but that's what it is." Suddenly her eyes grew wide and she turned to Jackie accusingly. "Wait, are you telling me that you and Hyde and never done it _doggy style_ before?" When her friend didn't answer, Donna asked, "Jackie, which different positions have you two done it in?"

"Just the normal way. Why?" Jackie asked, as though it was, indeed, normal.

"Jackie! Oh my god, poor Hyde! No wonder he's always so angry and violent! He's not getting any!" Her incredulous laughter earned her another smack from Jackie.

"Yes, he is!" She yelled defensively.

"Not the way he wants it! Jackie, guys like to try different things. They like to have the freedom to change positions and explore and enjoy it. But most of all, they get off on watching _you_ enjoy it. And it doesn't sound to me like you're enjoying anything." She paused in thought before piercing her with questioning eyes. "Jackie, have you ever had a…you know," her voice lowered to a whisper, "orgasm?"

"Of course." She looked down sadly. "Just not that many."

"Does Hyde try? I mean, does he," Donna looked around nervously, "go down on you?" Jackie blushed at her friend's blunt question.

"Yeah, he does that all the time." She waved her hand as if it were no big deal.

"And you never did it back?" Jackie gave her a 'duh' look. "Well, Jesus, Jackie, maybe that's if you weren't damn uptight about sex, you would enjoy it more. It sounds like Hyde's trying to make you love it. Missionary isn't necessarily the best position for your pleasure, you know." She shook her head, wondering how Hyde had put up with this for so long "God, no wonder he agreed to marriage. He's frustrated and desperate, poor little guy." Donna found herself angry at Jackie for torturing Hyde. "You know, he must really care about you to put up with the missionary position for two years, and then you just go and use it against him!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't even matter, it's not working anymore. It's like I've created a monster."

"That's because you did it for all the wrong reasons, Jackie. Did you ever think to just let go and enjoy him and allow your relationship to develop naturally? I mean, eventually Hyde will come around on his own, without you having to manipulate him into some kind of matrimonial trap." Jackie stared at her friend blankly before becoming frustrated with her words.

"God, I swear Donna! It's like your speaking 'dolphin' sometimes!"

"Why don't you just try to make him happy and then he'll _want_ to marry you!" Donna yelled at her clueless friend.

"Make him _happy_?" Jackie said the words as though the idea was completely foreign.

"Yeah, you know, like, make him smile." She groaned in frustration. "Okay, what does Hyde like? What makes him happy? What puts a smile on his face?" After a few seconds of deep thought, Jackie had a moment of clarity.

"Oh my god. I don't know why I never thought of it before." She spoke slowly to her self. "If I wanna rope Steven into marriage, I need to act like a slut! Steven loves sluts!" Jackie turned towards her friend with grateful eyes. "Wow, thanks Donna!" With a quick hug, Jackie jumped off the steps and ran off to surprise Hyde at work.

"Jackie, that's not exactly what I..." Donna flopped back against the door, defeated. "..whatever."

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_Holiday Hotel Kitchen, 10:45 pm _

_April 21, 1979_

ERIC, HYDE, KELSO, AND FEZ SIT IN A CIRCLE AROUND THE HOTEL KITCHEN COUNTER. ERIC PASSES A JOINT TO HYDE.

ERIC: (sulking) Man, I don't know how much of this 'no sex until marriage' thing I can take. I found myself feeling up my Princess Leia "Rebel princess" action figure last night. I need help, man."

HYDE: (shaking his head in disgust) I should kill you for saying that.

KELSO: (holding a white rabbit) You guys, do you think my new rabbit could beat Shotzie in a race?

HYDE: (getting more irritated) I still can't believe you traded our Zeppelin tickets for that stupid bunny, Kelso! I should kill you, too!

FEZ: It's a rabbit, Hyde, and come on, have a heart, look at that sweet little face... and the bunny is pretty darn cute too.

THE RABBIT SUDDENLY LEAPS OUT OF KELSO'S ARMS AND BEGINS TO RUN AROUND THE KITCHEN.

KELSO: (shouts) Zeppelin, come back!

KELSO BEGINS TO CHASE THE RABBIT AROUND THE ROOM.

HYDE: Damn it, Kelso! Get it!

KELSO: I can't! He's really fast! (excited) Man! He is _so_ gonna kick Shotzie's ass!

ERIC: (impressed) Wow, look at him go.

FEZ: Run, Rabbit , Run!

HYDE: No! You idiots! We can't have a rabbit running around the kitchen!

ERIC, HYDE AND FEZ JOIN IN THE CHASE UNTIL HYDE SLIPS ON SOMETHING, LANDING FLAT ON HIS ASS.

HYDE: Ah! Damn it!

FEZ: (cringing) Sorry, Hyde.

HYDE PICKS UP THE LARGE JAWBREAKER THAT HE JUST SLIPPED ON AND GLARES MENACINGLY AT FEZ BEFORE SLIPPING THE CANDY INTO HIS POCKET

ERIC: Run, Fez, Run!

FEZ: (nervously to Hyde) Let me guess…you are going to kill me?

HYDE NODS MENACINGLY AND BEGINS TO GET UP WHILE FEZ RUNS OUT OF THE KITCHEN. STILL ANGRY, HYDE RETURNS TO HIS SEAT, PROMPTING ERIC AND KELSO TO FOLLOW, FORGETTING ALL ABOUT "ZEPPELIN" THE WHITE RABBIT.

HYDE: Idiot.

ERIC: (to Hyde) Man, what crawled up your butt today?

KELSO: (visibly upset) Yeah, bunny hater! What's up your butt?

HYDE: It's stupid Jackie. She's driving me nuts with this whole wedding thing, and I thought maybe now since we're engaged, she might, you know...do stuff!

ERIC: (patronizingly) Oh Hyde. So young. So naive. You jumped on that blow job way too quickly, my friend. You should've held out for something better, man.

KELSO: (indignant) UH! Wait a minute! You got a blow job out of Jackie? That's not fair, man! She owed ME one for years!

HYDE: (threateningly to Kelso) What did you just say?

FEZ: (voice only) Run, Kelso, Run!

HYDE JERKS TOWARD KELSO, CAUSING HIM TO FALL OUT OF HIS CHAIR, SCRAMBLE TO HIS FEET, AND RUN OUT THE DOOR.

"Hyde, look. Donna, cut me off completely," Eric said earnestly, turning towards his friend. "Just be grateful that you don't have to join a threesome with me and Leia anytime soon."

"Why have I not killed you yet?" Hyde asked, shaking his head in disgust at the image Eric had planted in his mind.

Eric laughed as he stood up from his chair, heading to the freezer at the back of the kitchen.

"Cause I make a sweet root beer float." He grinned as he pulled out a large carton of vanilla ice cream.

"Oh, yeah." Hyde smiled at him, and was pleased to note that they could spend another fifteen minutes goofing off before getting back to work.

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_Holiday Hotel Kitchen, 12:20am_

_April 22, 1979_

Later that night, Jackie donned her cheer leader uniform and drove to the hotel, hoping to surprise Hyde at closing time when he would be alone. Wearing the uniform was always a sure way of driving him crazy, and she often put it on with nothing underneath when she wanted him to forgive her or do something unusual for her. Like ballroom dancing lessons.

When she snuck into the kitchen, he was in the room alone looking into the industrial sized fridge, probably doing a final inventory before closing. She was planning to sneak up behind him and slide her hands over his eyes, but before she could act, he closed the shiny, metallic door and caught her reflection before turning around. His reaction to her uniform was not as complete as she had hoped: he clearly wanted her, but he was still bothered by their earlier fight. Flashing him a seductive smile, Jackie walked slowly towards him, stopping within inches of his body. He took a deep breath and then scowled at her, turning slightly away.

"I'm not doing this again." She looked up at him, confused.

"Doing what, Steven?"

"You know exactly what, Jackie. This stupid little game you're playing where you give me an impersonal blow job any time you want something and we barely have sex. How am I supposed to want to marry you when you obviously barely want me?" He brushed past her, continuing with his final duties of the day, slamming cupboard doors in his anger. At his brusque attitude, her determination to give him whatever he wanted skyrocketed.

"That's not true," she said loudly, secretly unnerved that she was so transparent. Trying to push aside angry feelings, Jackie gave him her best promising smile as she spoke.

"I'm here to give you anything you want." She made her voice low and husky, and she could see his eyes widen at her statement. If letting Steven take her doggy style was what she needed to rope him into marriage, she was prepared to give it to him. He stopped what he was doing, obviously affected by her words, and slowly made his way towards her station by of the fridge. When he stood in front of her, he raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Anything?" His voice was deep and dangerous and Jackie felt a shudder of both anxiety and arousal.

"Anything," she whispered seductively lowering a hand to brush across his erection.

"Why?" He pushed her hand aside and stared down at her. "Why now?"

"Why do I have to have a reason, Steven?" He gave her another raised eyebrow and she stomped her foot. "Because I want to, okay?" He rolled his eyes again, but didn't push her away when her hand moved back towards him. The look in her eyes told him that she was serious about giving him whatever he wanted, but Hyde knew it was only the means to an end for her. He decided that he had to beat her at her own game and leave her begging for more.

Squelching a triumphant smile when he didn't argue, Jackie raised one hand to hesitantly touch Hyde's scruffy sideburns. Hyde seemed to relax a little bit, and Jackie's fingers slowly moved up into his hair, gently running her fingernails over his scalp. The anger seemed to ease from his features as she touched him, and when she leaned up and kissed him, the hand in his hair forcing him downwards, he could sense her determination to make him happy. He gave into her kiss, and grew more excited as Jackie reacted to his touch.

Jackie moved her lips over his, trying to relax as his kiss became insistent against her mouth. In a sudden flash of movement, Hyde picked her up and pushed her against the door, wrapping her legs around his hips as he continued to kiss her. She had been preparing herself for doggy style, so when she instead felt his clothed erection rub against her bare sex, she couldn't help the gasp that tore from her lips. Hyde smiled against her mouth, obviously pleased with her reaction, as he began a regular grinding motion into her wetness. He was determined to make her cum so hard that she wouldn't be able to think about her stupid wedding plans. Jackie threw her head back against the fridge and arched her breasts towards him, causing him to halt quickly to pull her top over her head before returning to his movements. Jackie writhed against him, drawing ever closer to orgasm as he moved against her, pinning her now naked back to the cold metal door behind her. He watched her in awe as she neared the edge; she was always the most sexy when she gave herself over to him.

"God, you're so sexy right now," Hyde whispered in her ear, his lips barely brushing over her sensitive lobe as his denim clad erection pressed into her harder. It was the final stimulus that she needed, and Jackie suddenly screamed in his arms, shaking from the force of her orgasm. As she came down, she felt Hyde reverently placing kisses along her collar bone and down towards her breasts, and Jackie just moaned against him as she felt his lips wrap around her nipple.

Hyde spent several minutes licking and sucking her breasts before lowering her legs to the floor and kicking off his pants. When he lifted her again, she instinctually wrapped her legs around him and bunched her skirt up at her waist, gasping at the feeling of his bare, swollen flesh against her. With a small grin, he lifted her slightly and plunged inside of her in one slow movement. Jackie gasped at the sensation of being filled in the new position, amazed at the waves of pleasure that coursed through her as he began to thrust. Her quiet gasp became a long moan and Hyde couldn't help but smile at her responsiveness.

"You like that, baby?" he panted against her mouth before pressing his lips over hers in a searing kiss. It moved slowly, as his hips did, thrusting in and out of her and bringing her to the brink of another orgasm without letting her fall over the edge. Jackie moaned deliriously as she tried to thrust against him, but found herself immobilized and completely at Hyde's mercy.

Her cries slowly became pleas for him to take her harder, faster, and the only thought in her mind was that she wanted more. So when he pulled out of her and turned her over a low spot on the counter top, Jackie didn't complain, she just prepared herself to be reentered. Jackie's hips bucked against the edge of the counter as she squirmed in arousal, but when she didn't feel him behind her, she groaned in frustration and craned her neck to look behind her.

"Did you want something, Jackie?" He asked her, a large smirk on his lips as he stood defiantly behind her, arms crossed over his chest and eyes glued firmly to her ass.

"Yes, Steven. Please." She moaned again, her hips lifting off the counter in frustration. "Come on, baby," she whimpered, waiting for his touch. Hyde moved towards her, letting his erection rest on her lower back as he leaned over her to whisper in her ear.

"What do you want, baby? Do you want me to fuck you?" Another throaty moan left her lips as his words sent a pulse of arousal through her body.

"Oh God, yes. Steven, please, please fuck me." Moving his hips slightly, Hyde brushed his erection through her delicate curls to rest just inside her opening.

"You want it like this, Jackie? Like an animal?" He was surprised when her hips thrust back against his and forced him to slide deep inside her. Jackie nearly screamed at the feeling of him, and he gave her several moments to adjust to the different feeling before he began to thrust, setting a hard, fast pace. For a moment, Hyde was certain that he saw a bunny scamper by in his peripheral vision, but he blocked out the image and focused on making Jackie cum. One hand slipped around her body and his fingers found her clit, rubbing around it and pinching it as his thrusts increased in speed. Almost immediately, Hyde could feel her channel contract and tighten around him as she let out a hoarse scream that sounded vaguely like his name. Her enthusiasm and pleasure quickly pulled him over the edge, and he leaned forward, burying his face in her neck and filling his mouth with her salty skin as he came inside of her.

Panting harshly, Hyde let himself slide towards the floor with exhaustion, pulling Jackie with him to rest in his lap. Judging by the look in her eyes, he guessed that he had succeeded in making her cum so hard that she couldn't think about marriage, and when she smiled radiantly up at him, he crushed his lips to hers, trying to show her how much this meant to him.

As Jackie languidly kissed Hyde, she idly thought that perhaps her plan to manipulate Steven with sex had worked even better than she thought; he seemed damn happy with her and had certainly forgotten about their fight. But when she remembered being underneath him, she knew that what she had given him had nothing to do with manipulation and everything to do with just him. Jackie cuddled into his chest on the floor and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Zeppelin the rabbit staring up at them with wide bunny eyes while his pink bunny nose twitched at them. She gave a little squeal and crawled further into Hyde's lap, calming down when she realized that he wasn't moving, only staring. She looked up at Hyde in question, and he rolled his eyes.

"It's Kelso's. The moron traded our Zeppelin tickets for it and then left it here." He shook his head in disgust, still pissed off at his friend.

"Do you think it's alright that that rabbit watched us do it?" Jackie asked nervously, feeling exposed in front of the small furry creature. Hyde watched Zeppelin avidly gazing at them, and idly wondered if Zeppelin was a perv. The thought made him laugh.

"Well, he's been hanging out with Kelso, so I'm gonna assume that he's seen much worse." He grinned down at her, meeting her lips once more in their embrace.

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_Foreman Basement, 2:47pm_

_May 5, 1979 (two weeks later)_

ERIC, FEZ AND KELSO ARE HAVING AN AFTERNOON CIRCLE. THE SOUNDS OF JACKIE AND HYDE HAVING SEX ARE CLEARLY AUDIBLE IN THE MAIN ROOM.

ERIC: (obviously tortured) I hate Hyde. I propose and what do I get..."Virginity," the sequel. Hyde proposes and what does he get?

FROM INSIDE HYDE'S ROOM, JACKIE BEGINS TO SCREAM FOR GOD.

ERIC: (cont.) (begins to dry sob) I hate Hyde.

FEZ: Oh, don't cry, Eric. You couldn't make Donna scream like that anyway.

JACKIE CONTINUES TO MOAN AND SCREAM.

KELSO: (Enjoying the sounds) Man, it's everyday like this! For two weeks straight, they've been doin' it like... like... like...

ZEPPELIN the RABBIT: (chewing on lettuce)

KELSO: (still confused) like...like something that does it a lot!

ZEPPELIN the RABBIT: (still chewing)

ERIC: (staring, horrified) Man, if I don't see some boobies soon, I think I might actually die."

FEZ: Don't worry Eric. Your bachelor party is in 14 days and counting. We will be objectifying strippers, and getting smacked for it, in no time!

SUDDENLY, JACKIE SCREAMS OUT HYDE'S NAME PASSIONATELY.

KELSO: I don't know why we need strippers when we got free live porn right here!

"_OH GOD, STEVEN!"_

"_OH FUCK, JACKIE!"_

KELSO: (cont.) (smiling) Yeah, that's just good stuff!

ZEPPELIN the RABBIT: (still chewing)

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_Foreman Basement, 3:45pm_

_May 5, 1979_

Hyde walked out of his room, a satisfied grin plastered to his face, to find Eric sitting on the couch, staring blankly into space.

"Foreman, man, are you okay?" Eric jumped at the sound of his friend's voice and tried to hide the blush and the boner than came along with intently listening to him and Jackie all day.

"I'm just a little jumpy, lately." He smiled weakly, and Hyde felt sorry for him. Eight weeks with no sex was enough to try any man's nerves, and when it was a man already as twitchy Eric, well, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Where's Kelso? We were going to go to work together."

"Oh, he left. Said he'd see you there." Eric looked around the room with a guilty expression on his face. "Is, uh, Jackie still in your room?"

"Yeah. She's _really_ tired." Hyde raised an eyebrow in an evil grin. "She'll be here all night tonight; we figure it's alright for her to sleep here since we're engaged." Hyde grabbed his keys and started towards the door. "Later, man."

With a last wave, Hyde was out the door and Eric returned to his previous line of thought: Jackie. He had been treated to the sound of Jackie in the throws of passion almost constantly for two weeks, and combined with his own lack of sexual stimulation, he was slowly going crazy. It's not as though there was something special about Jackie in particular, just that she was hot and around. And really hot. And always screaming in pleasure.

Lying back on the couch, Eric thought back to the screams Hyde had elicited from Jackie, and imagined himself positioned behind the tiny brunette, driving himself into her tight, wet pussy. He would use one hand to firmly grasp her hair, pulling her head back as he pounded into her, making her beg for more. He was almost able to feel the way her inner muscles would pulse around his cock, bathing him in her juices.

Eric groaned loudly and jumped up from the couch, trying to find a way to take his mind off of Jackie as he paced around the basement. He felt guilty as hell for pouring all of his pent up sexual desires into lurid fantasies about his fiancé's best friend and his best friend's fiancé. Finally, he decided that Hyde's stash might be the only thing that could do the job, and he headed back towards the room, trying not to think about the object of his fantasies that was inside. While he was preparing to knock and try to avoid awkward conversation, Eric noticed a gap between the door frame and the old warped door. The tiny hole seemed to call to him, begging him to peek inside. After all, he told himself, Jackie might be asleep and he didn't want to wake her.

As his view of the room became clear, he saw Jackie languidly rise from the bed, looking just like a girl who had just been fucked senseless. She threw the goose down duvet off of her, and Eric gasped at the sight of her naked body, letting his hand drift over his erection when it became prominent again. Standing naked in the middle of the room, Jackie slowly stretched her lithe limbs, giving Eric an unintended show before beginning to dress. Eric leaned into the door, sliding his hand into his pants and rubbing his dick furiously at the sight of Jackie's ass. She was so much smaller than Donna, and he imagined what it would be like to be with a girl that couldn't wrestle him into submission. The sound of someone skipping down the basement stairs caused him to pull away from the door and pull his hand out of his pants, but he was still in a compromising position just outside of Hyde's room with a giant erection when Donna came into view.

"Eric, what the HELL?"

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**A/N 2:** Thank you for reading! And please, please don't forget to review! Anonymous reviews accepted.


	3. Ride The Tide

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far! Remember, if you don't have an account, anonymous reviews are also accepted and cherished and it only takes a minute, so please let us know what you think! This is going to be a crazy ride… Seriously, the rollercoaster has barely pulled away at this point. Please calm any doubts about our J/H friendliness by visiting our individually authored stories (luvcali76 and gah-linda).

* * *

**Previously: **

_**The sound of someone skipping down the basement stairs caused him to pull away from the door and pull his hand out of his pants, but he was still in a compromising position just outside of Hyde's room with a giant erection when Donna came into view.**_

"_**Eric, what the HELL?"**_

**Ride The Tide**

_Foreman Basement, 4:01 pm_

_May 5, 1979_

"What the HELL, Eric?" Donna reiterated. Eric glanced around nervously, trying to will away his sizable erection. Funny, he thought, that he could be so hard and so terrified at the same time.

"I was just, I wanted, you know, I wanted," he swallowed nervously, trying to still his shaking hands. "I wanted to get Hyde's stash, you know, and I was just, you know, looking inside before I knocked" He trailed off guiltily and silence settled in the room as the basement door slammed. Eric's erection finally disappeared when Hyde came into view, planning to grab his wallet before work.

"What are you guys doin' in front of my room?" He questioned a guilty looking Eric and a furious looking Donna before Donna spoke up.

"I caught this little perv trying to catch you and Jackie going at it!" She turned back to glare at her boyfriend until Hyde spoke up.

"No, Eric saw me leave for work." He supplied. Donna turned to glare at Eric, even more livid with this new revelation.

"Then why were your pants open while you were looking in Hyde's room you little perv?" Eric looked like he might reply when Hyde cut him off.

"Foreman. You _knew_ I was going to work and that Jackie was in there alone" He trailed off, becoming more angry at Eric, who stared down at his feet. "Jackie was fucking naked in there!" Hyde yelled just as Jackie opened the door, still pulling her shirt over her head.

"What's going on out here?" she asked innocently, looking only at Hyde and not noticing Eric's brief lusty stare or Donna's furious one. It was Donna who answered her.

"My fiance's a pig, that's what's going on!" She punctuated the statement with a slap across Eric's face before storming out of the basement. Hyde's menacing figure stood between him and the basement door, so Eric's hopes of following his fiancé were dashed. Instead, Eric stared at his shoes and waited for whatever his oldest friend was determined to dish out, but it never came. Instead, Hyde remained still, his gaze shifting between his best friend and his fiancé.

Hyde found himself more annoyed with Eric than mad at him. After all, Donna had been holding out for weeks and Jackie was hot. As his eyes roamed her body, he changed that. Jackie was fucking gorgeous. Turning towards Eric again, Hyde gathered all his irritation, ready to yell when Eric made it worse, as usual.

"Look, Hyde. I didn't mean to spy on her. I was, well, you know, your stash, and Jackie, and then she was naked and stretching and it was like..." Hyde stopped him right there.

"You have five seconds to get out of here or you're dead, Foreman." Without wasting a second, Eric managed to wiggle his way past Hyde and up the basement stairs.

"What was that all about, baby?" Jackie asked quietly once they were alone. He rolled his eyes, but couldn't hold back a smirk as he told her.

"Eric was, uh" He paused thoughtfully. "You remember when you and Donna caught Eric after looking at that picture of your mom?"

"Yeah" Jackie said, still not exactly sure where Hyde was going. The knowing look in his eyes caused her to break out in a blush before she joked, "I guess men really can't control themselves around a Burkhardt woman." She was the perfect combination of self assured and embarrassed, and after letting his eyes scan over her body he decided that it was probably true. He was about to reply when Jackie seemed to realize something. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at work?" Hyde slowly advanced towards her as he spoke.

"Nah. I'll call in sick later. I can't leave you alone in a basement full of pervs." He grinned at her as he backed her towards the bedroom.

"Awww, Steven. You really love me." As she looked at him, he knew she was seeing her knight in shining armor, and the idea made him strangely happy.

"Maybe I do." He tried to suppress his smile as Jackie's tiny fists playfully pummeled his chest at his non-answer, but quickly captured her mouth with his own and pushed her back into the bedroom.

Their tongues tangled passionately as Jackie's hands worked to strip off Hyde's clothes; he was naked before the bedroom door clicked shut behind them. As she was about to start pulling off her own garments, Hyde stopped her and moved to lie down on his small bed. Once he was stretched out on his back, erection pointed proudly at the ceiling and hands tucked behind his head, he stared at Jackie expectantly. She blushed under his scrutiny and looked down at her outfit—nothing but jeans and an old shirt, not a stitch of makeup, her hair still messy from spending the afternoon in bed. Maybe she wasn't glamorous, but the memories of their coupling not an hour ago combined with his current hungry gaze made her feel sexy.

"So," she began, while pulling up her shirt enough to expose her smooth stomach, "you want me to give you a show?" He nodded as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Haven't I been objectified enough today by your pervy friend?" she asked teasingly. He smiled at Donna's influence on her as her shirt rose higher.

"But, see, you haven't been objectified by me. So…" Hyde trailed off as her shirt rose high enough to give him a glimpse of her bra. He groaned in frustration when she covered her breasts back up before pulling the shirt over her head in one fluid movement. The sight of his girlfriend in jeans and her lacy bra sent shivers of desire down his back, and as she unhooked her bra and let it slowly slide away from her body, he could barely control his need to touch her. After closing his eyes briefly to restrain himself from grabbing her, Hyde opened them back up to see Jackie standing in front of him cupping her breasts gently. Her hands slid down her stomach in unison to unzip her jeans, and he moaned out loud when he saw her dark curls poking through the denim instead of panties. She laughed at his responsiveness as she wiggled the jeans down her legs and stepped out of them, wasting no time before straddling his naked form.

"Fuck, Jackie," Hyde breathed out as she sank down on top of him, engulfing him in her wet center. He stared up at her as she took him all the way inside of her and then paused to adjust to the new feeling. Some secret part of Hyde was almost giddy because of Jackie's display of sexual initiative, and as she began to roll her hips over him, he resolved to let her take this at her own pace. But that resolution didn't stop him from trailing his fingers up and down her torso, pausing to cup her breasts and pinch her nipples.

"Mmmm," Jackie moaned quietly as her head rolled back on her shoulders. Her movements were slow and steady and hitting her in all the right places. She blushed at Hyde's intent gaze, admiring her naked body bouncing above his as she rode him, but relaxed when his questing fingers ran down her stomach to touch the spot where they joined. Between the purposeful movement of her hips and Hyde's hands, Jackie felt herself rapidly reaching her peak. Just as her orgasm was about to hit and her body shuddered around him, Hyde moved his hands to tightly grasp her lower body and take control. His fingers dug into her hips, and as he held her still and began to thrust rapidly upwards into her, Jackie could feel her orgasm build in a flurry of sensation. And then she saw something strange.

"Steven?" She asked, as she pulled herself away from him, covering her bare breasts with her hands as she stared past his head. "Is that Michael's rabbit?" Sure enough, Zeppelin the Rabbit was perched on the small table that held Jackie's picture, watching them curiously and twitching its nose.

Hyde didn't respond, didn't even look at Zeppelin, before he growled—a deep rumbling sound coming from his chest—and pounced on Jackie, flipping her over on her back and covering her mouth with his. Their tongues and teeth clashed as Hyde ran his hands up and down her body, trying to touch every part of her now that she was underneath him. His mouth ran a trail down the side of her neck, nibbling on her salty flesh and enjoying all of the tastes and feelings he had missed out on with Jackie above him. Once she was writhing beneath him and begging for more, the rabbit long forgotten, Hyde finally slid back into her with one thrust. Jackie gasped beneath him and wrapped her legs around his back to reach her orgasm in seconds, causing Hyde to follow closely behind. Their lips met again as Hyde hovered over her, and when they parted, they were both struggling for breath.

"Damn, Jackie," he panted down at her, "you can't just stop like that, baby," he said, running a gentle hand through her hair.

"But, Steven, it was watching us! And…smelling us!" Hyde just laughed at her and curled around her naked body under his duvet.

"It's just a rabbit, Jackie. It doesn't matter." Jackie glared at him for a moment before turning her attention back to Zeppelin.

"Why is it always with you, anyways? Isn't it Michael's?" Hyde shrugged his shoulders, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Kelso abandoned it, and someone has to take care of him." Jackie could hear him feigning nonchalance, and broke out into a large smile.

"Oh, Steven, you're so sweet! You took it in when no one else wanted it! You adopted the bunny!" Hyde cut off her rant quickly.

"No, Jackie! It's not sweet. I just had to take him before Kelso strapped him to a bottle rocket just to see what would happen." Hyde rolled his eyes both at his friend's stupidity and Jackie's insistence of his sweetness.

"Aww, don't be afraid to care, baby." She paused thoughtfully, looking at the rabbit. "You know, she's getting fat. What are you feeding her?"

"Him," he interjected before answering, "you know, vegetables and stuff from Mrs. Foreman. Rabbit food."

"Are you sure it's a 'him,' Steven?" Jackie was somewhat taken aback by his insistence.

"Yeah, why?" Hyde asked defensively. Being careful to keep her important parts shielded from the its gaze, Jackie sat up and gingerly reached for the rabbit. Flipping it over on its back, she did a brief inspection before turning back to Hyde.

"Sorry, baby. This is a girl. A very, very pregnant girl." She squealed as she said the word 'pregnant' and Hyde's face paled.

"Don't say that word around me. And Zeppelin is not pregnant because Zeppelin is a BOY." He spoke very surely as he knelt next to Jackie, avoiding glances at the rabbit's obviously swollen stomach, and instead staring into the bunny's face. "Huh," he remarked as he examined the bunny closely for the first time, "I didn't notice this before." His finger was tracing a brown patch of fur on Zeppelin's ear shaped remarkably like a pot leaf. "Yeah, see, that's a badass rabbit right there. Definitely a boy."

"Oh, poor Steven. He wanted a boy bunny." Jackie spoke in a baby voice, still stroking the rabbit's fur, while Hyde scowled at her. "This is a girl bunny, Steven. And _she_ is going to have lots and lots of cute wittle baby bunny wabbits!" Suddenly, Jackie turned away from the rabbit and focused on Hyde. "_Oh my god_, Steven! We can have a baby bunny parade down the isle when we get married! Oh my god, we can get their fur professionally dyed to match my colors, and then they can…" she began to bounce on the cot, "hop down the isle!" Jackie squealed even more as she planned out the bunnies' roles in their wedding, and Hyde's scowl grew larger. "Oh! And some can have little baskets attached to their backs with white rose petals inside, so that then when they hop, petals will fall out for me to walk on, and then two of the bunnies can have sachets tied around their necks with our rings inside!" Jackie was so wrapped up with talking and bouncing that she hardly noticed when Hyde pulled Zeppelin from her grasp and drew her naked body back down next to his on the bed.

"Yeah, that's _so_ not gonna happen." He spoke with absolute certainty and finality, but he wasn't surprised when Jackie disagreed.

"Oh yes it is!" Her voice was still sing-songy from the excitement.

"Not if you want _me_ to be there, it's not." Jackie just laughed at him.

"Oh, you'll SOO be there, and do you know why?" He shook his head, messing with her. "Because you love me. Even though you won't say it, I know you do." Hyde's scowl slowly broke into a smile as Jackie pressed kisses to his cheeks and forehead. "I know you love me, Steven Hyde." He shook his head, feigning exasperation, but pressed his lips against hers and kissed her sweetly while Zeppelin the pregnant rabbit watched over them.

* * *

_Foreman Basement, 12:15pm_

_May 6, 1979 (the next day)_

After his journey through the apex of hell, also known as the Point Place mall, Hyde found solace in the quiet comfort of his small room. The bright, scrutinizing lights of the mall had twisted his brain into a million knots, making the plastic smiles of its workers that much more annoying and the prospect of what he was about to do a million times more terrifying. Making sure to shut his flimsy door and placing a small brown bag along with a brand new rabbit cage onto the dresser, Hyde plopped himself down on his cot and stared at the ceiling. He had everything he needed and now, all that remained was... "The speech."

_Damn it._ Hyde groaned at the thought and rolled to his side, getting his first reminder that he was not alone.

"Hey," he offered to the white fur ball staring up at him from the floor below. Big bunny eyes and a twitching pink nose returned the gesture, eliciting a small grin out of the supposed hard ass. "I like you. You don't talk much," Hyde said as he picked up the rabbit and placed it carefully in front of him on the bed. He sat up and cleared his throat.

"Okay, Zeppelin, how's this sound... _what the hell?_"

Out in the basement, Kelso stepped inside and looked around. Not seeing any sign of Donna, or anybody else for that matter, he prepared himself to leave when he heard Hyde's voice coming from inside the back room. He grinned at the strange sentimentality that oozed from his friend's voice and tip-toed over to get a better listen, readying himself for a juicy afternoon burn. Halfway there, it occurred to him that Jackie would still be at the Hub where he had just seen her searching for Donna. So who was Hyde talking to, Kelso wondered as he approached the closed door.

Hyde shook his head in disgust and used his thumbs to rub away at the crimson rose blush that saturated his poor rabbit's white fur. "Hey, did you let Jackie do your make-up again? You can't let her do that. You gotta stand up to her. I do it everyday. _I know, I know_. Look where it got me, right – fucking engaged. Well, not really," he practically whispered as he leaned in close to the floppy ears, "cause she doesn't know about this yet..."

She doesn't know about US yet, Kelso thought he heard, barely able to decipher Hyde's quiet words. Who the hell did he have in there?

Hyde reached up and grabbed the brown paper bag from his dresser, pulling out a small black velvet box and revealing the princess cut diamond engagement ring that sat inside. Zeppelin seemed to twitch her approval. "Yeah, you like that? It's not as big as Jackie likes 'em. She's so damn picky, you know. Drives me nuts. Here, you wanna see it?"

Kelso's eyes went wide as he pressed himself harder against the door.

Hyde held the shiny diamond out to the rabbit, letting her sniff it. To his surprise she tried to eat it, instead. "No, no, don't put it in your mouth."

Nearly out of his mind, Kelso now frantically searched the door for a crack, a tiny sliver even; he just _had_ to see who Hyde had in there.

Hyde slipped the ring over his pinky finger and pulled the bunny closer, "Come here," he said before frowning and examining Zeppelin's full tummy with his fingers. "Oh crap, you are pregnant. Damn it. Well, we can't tell Jackie."

Outside the door, Kelso began to pace. What the hell was going on? Hyde was cheating on Jackie and now had gotten the girl pregnant? He had to tell her, warn her. She had to know that Hyde was a low down dirty dog. Pressing his ear up against the door, Kelso tried to gather any more information to use against Hyde.

"..she'll go all spastic. We'll have to hide the babies, cause you'll know what she'll do to 'em. Yeah. You heard her this morning before she slathered all that crap on your face," he said with a chuckle as he licked his thumbs and made another attempt at cleaning her furry, tarted up face.

"Okay," Hyde continued, returning to the real problem at hand. _The speech._ "How's this… _Baby, I know I don't say it much to you, and I know I don't always act like it, especially when everyone is around, but... I love you… a lot_," Hyde swallowed hard. "_Will you marry me?_"

Not wanting to waste any more time, Kelso ran out of the basement to find Jackie before she found out the truth, the hard way.

Hyde tapped Zeppelin on the nose with his finger, "Sound good? No, huh." He sighed. "I don't think it matters. I'm pretty sure Jackie would say yes if I taped the damn thing to a postcard and mailed it to her," he said with a smirk, confident that she loved him.

Placing the bunny in her new cage and giving her a pat on the butt, Hyde returned to reality. "Alright, get the hell outta here before someone catches me talking to you and puts me an insane asylum."

Hyde got up, put some rabbit food in Zeppelin's bowl and headed out in search of the girl that had him talking to fucking bunny rabbits just to please her.

* * *

_Pinciotti House, 12:35pm_

After searching nearly every nook and cranny of Point Place, which sadly didn't take long, Jackie decided to just give up and head home to the Pinciotti house. Donna would have to come back sometime, if only to eat, cause Jackie knew how focused that girl always seemed to be on food. But to her surprise, when she stepped in inside their shared bedroom, Jackie finally found her only girlfriend.

"Donna!"

She was sitting on her bed, staring into space and hugging on to the one thing Jackie found comfort in besides Hyde: Fluffycakes.

"Donna. Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I was at the library."

"Ew, why?"

"Because I like it there."

"Ew, why?"

Donna shook her head, exhausted with Jackie's put downs. "Shouldn't you be naked somewhere giving my boyfriend a private show?"

Jackie gasped. "You're mad at ME? Donna, the Burkhart body was made to be looked at! Why don't you be mad at your pervy boyfriend for being so ... _pervy!_"

"I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand why he would do that. I mean... does he want you more than me or something?"

Jackie sighed and plopped herself down on the bed next to Donna and Fluffycakes. "No. God, maybe this IS all my fault. Or maybe it's Steven's fault for being so," Jackie paused in lustful reverie, "_good._"

"Oh, god," Donna said, disgusted.

"No,_ good_," Jackie corrected, dreamily. Donna rolled her eyes as Jackie continued. "After our talk that one day, I decided to be a total and complete slut for Steven, and I realized... I AM a slut, Donna," she said smiling, "A big one!"

"_No_," Donna groaned sarcastically, having already heard from Kelso and Fez about the enchanting tales of "free porn" and "bunny fucks" that now ran on an hourly schedule in the Forman basement.

"Yes," Jackie confirmed, clueless to the red head's sarcasm. "Steven and I have connected, Donna! Literally and metaphorically, and, oh," she sighed, falling backwards on the bed, "oh, I never imagined it could be that hot."

Donna's face turned sour as she watched the over-sexed brunette fantasize on the bed before her. "Jackie, what does that have to do with my fiancé abusing himself to you?"

Jackie opened her eyes, snapping out of her newly discovered dirty Steven thoughts. "Oh, well... I could be wrong but I think Steven and I may have been a little loud, and you did cut Eric off, Donna, and well, I mean, _look_ at me. Any normal man would have broken at some point. Oh, and Eric, too."

Donna rolled her eyes, but had to admit to herself that Jackie, although shallow, self-centered, and completely sex depraved, had a decent point. She looked at her friend and chuckled. "Whatever."

Jackie smiled. "So are you still gonna marry him?"

Donna took in a deep breath, pausing in thought, already knowing the answer. "Yes," she said, "but only after I make him cry a little."

"That's great! Cause I got an idea!" Jackie squealed. "_A bachelorette party!_ I mean, why should those pervs have all the fun? If my new found sluttiness has taught me anything, Donna, it's that us girls need to grab life by the balls!" Jackie smiled and nodded as her friend looked on in horror. "Yeah, basically, me and you and maybe Laurie or someone, cause, you know, she's a whore, should all go and watch hot, guy strippers give US a show for once!"

Donna smirked, with a new found respect for Jackie. "You know what, you're right. If he gets to look at naked people, then so do I!"

"That's the slut spirit, Donna!" Jackie giggled, aware of her own silliness. She grabbed Fluffycakes back from Donna. "Oh! I almost forgot! Guess what! Steven's little bunny is pregnant!"

"Oh my god, you're pregnant?"

"No! The bunny, the rabbit, you know, _Zeppelin._ She's pregnant!"

"It's a girl?"

"Yes! And do you know what that means?" Jackie squealed once more, "Baby bunny parade!" Donna just rolled her eyes and collapsed on her bed with a giggling Jackie.

* * *

_Foreman Basement, 5:30pm_

SITTING AROUND THE USUAL CIRCLE ARE ERIC, HYDE WITH ZEPPELIN, JACKIE, AND KELSO.

ERIC: (looking spent) Well, after four hours of tears and an entire box of Kleenex, I think Donna and I are going to be ok. I mean, once I stopped crying, she totally came around.

HYDE: (angrily, holding Zeppelin) Man, I can't believe this crap. Kelso! You stuck me with a girl bunny! Now we're gonna have to freakin' rename her.

JACKIE: (smiling wide) I like Fluffykins!

KELSO: (to Hyde, livid) _OR_... How about LIARella or CHEATERina. What do you think of those _Hyde!_

ERIC: (looking at Jackie's chest) How about ZZ tit, I mean top… I mean hop... I mean ZZ Hop. Damn it!

FOCUSED ON JACKIE, HYDE QUICKLY SETS THE RABBIT ON HIS CHAIR AND MOVES OVER TO THE COUCH WITH HER, SETTING HER ON HIS LAP.

HYDE: (to Jackie) Hey, tomorrow night, I want to you to get yourself all dolled up, cause I've got a surprise for you. We're going out.

JACKIE: (bouncing, hugging him) Steven! Oh my god, I love surprises. Especially the shiny, two plus caret, princess cut, diamond encrusted kind! (coyly) But I guess dinner is fine, too.

HYDE SMILES AND JACKIE BEGINS TO KISS HIS NECK.

KELSO: (scowling) Well maybe you should prepare yourself for the lying, cheating, don't-know-how-to-use-a-condom, man-whore kind. _HYDE!_

HYDE THROWS HIS HANDS UP AND NARROWS HIS EYES AT KELSO, EVEN AS JACKIE KEEPS KISSING HIM AND BOUNCING IN HIS LAP.

HYDE: (angrily, to Kelso) What the _hell_ is your problem tonight?

KELSO: Tell me _Hyde_… Do you think it's alright to go and sleep with some chick without even considering the consequences? ... (Pauses, obviously thinking of Brooke's pregnancy) Damn! Well, do you think it's alright to knock up some chick that you barely know? ... (Pauses again and throws his hands up) … _DAMN IT!_

KELSO STORMS OUT OF THE BASEMENT.

ERIC: (watching Jackie kiss Hyde's neck) Anyway, Donna's supposed to meet me here at sex... I mean six... to go get something to beat... I mean eat. Damn it!

ZEPPELIN THE RABBIT: (sniffing the smoke)

JACKIE: (watching the bunny) Steven, I think you should call her... Miss Zeppelin. Cause she's not married…yet.

HYDE: Miss Z. (he smiles and nods his head) Damn, that rabbit is flying!

* * *

_Foreman Basement 5:53pm (twenty minutes later)_

Eric reclined on the couch watching Threes Company, occasionally stealing glances at Jackie and Hyde who were locked in an intense make-out session on Hyde's chair. Miss Zeppelin sat on the table, staring at the couple like the pervy, hormonal rabbit she was: a constant reminder to Eric that he shouldn't watch. Just as he got sucked into the television show, he heard Jackie release a breathy giggle into Hyde's neck before detangling herself from her fiancé and standing up to walk to the freezer. She bent over the side, causing her short skirt to ride up her hips, and Eric couldn't seem to pull his eyes away. He might have even felt bad about his watching if Hyde's eyes hadn't been glued to her butt, too.

Jackie took her time bent over the cold chamber, trying to find a red popsicle and enjoying the tingle she felt from knowing that both men in the room were staring at her before popping up with her treat. As she walked back to her seat, she smiled at Hyde's heated gaze and the thinly veiled lust visible on Eric's face. There was something empowering about being so desired, and Jackie openly swayed her hips, soaking up every bit of their adoration. Sitting on Hyde's lap, facing away from him this time, Jackie could feel Eric's gaze on her as she unwrapped her freeze pop. While she'd never really understand what Donna saw in him, she had to admit that it had always been a thorn in her side that Eric was just about the only boy she'd ever met who didn't drool over her. Creepiness factor aside, the fact that he was currently staring at her like his last meal brought a giddy smile to her face, and she curled into Hyde's lap happily as she watched the television and began to lick her frozen treat.

Eric watched in sick fascination as Jackie licked her cherry popsicle, sensually moving her reddening tongue over the smooth surface. He drew in a strangled breath as Jackie's lips closed over the tip, sucking hard on the treat as her lips puckered and turned even redder from the juices. His erection, which had been present and annoying before, was suddenly unbearable as Jackie began to slide her cherry freeze pop in an out of her mouth, still swirling her tongue around the tip. He would have given anything to replace the dessert in her mouth with his own popsicle-shaped appendage, and his eyes fell closed at the fantasy of her lips closing around him, her tongue swirling lazily at the tip as she sucked every drop she could from him. It was several minutes before another sexy noise from Jackie broke Eric from his reverie.

Jackie had just finished her popsicle and tossed the stick onto the coffee table—past Miss Z—when Hyde's arms tightened around her waist and his lips found the sensitive spot behind her ear. She couldn't hold in a loud moan when Hyde bit down on her earlobe, encouraging him to continue nibbling down the length of her neck. It was plainly obvious that the noises she made were driving Eric nuts, and when the skinny boy noticed that they both had their eyes closed, he didn't even bother to hide his open stare. Jackie was too caught up in the sensations produced by Hyde's hands and mouth to notice that Eric was watching, but she did remember he was there. Before Eric's little stunt yesterday, Jackie and Hyde had never been shy about being all over each other in front of their friends. But now, Jackie felt distinctly awkward and tried to hint to Hyde that they should go to the bedroom. His only response was to tighten his grip around her waist before letting his hands slide up to cup her breasts. She blushed furiously as she gasped at the feeling of her nipples clasped between his fingers; Hyde's face was buried in her neck and he didn't seem to even remember that Eric was in the room. When she finally gathered herself enough to pull away from Hyde, Jackie shot Eric an apologetic glance and dragged her fiancé to the bedroom.

Eric sat numbly on the basement couch listening to Jackie and Hyde go at it like rabbits. Feeling every bit the perverted asshole that his girlfriend thought he was, Eric unzipped his pants and was about to reach inside to stroke himself when Donna slammed through the basement door with perfect timing to catch him red handed. He looked up at her, resigned to take whatever anger she had to throw at him, but the livid expression melted from her face as she stared at him, listening to the moaning and thumping noises coming from Hyde's room.

"Are they always…" She broke off and cleared her throat, embarrassed at listening but unable to avoid it. A low groan that was clearly Hyde's reached her ears, and she felt the wet rush of arousal creep up on her. Eric just nodded that yes, they were always loud and always going at it, and as Donna took in the sight of her disheveled boyfriend about to jack off in front of a pregnant rabbit, she just started to laugh. Doubled over next to the couch, Donna convulsed with laughter from deep in her belly as Jackie began to scream louder and Miss Zeppelin's nose twitched in time with the thumping noise that emanated from the bedroom. Irritated with his fiancé, believing himself to be a large joke to her, Eric prepared to stand up from the couch when Donna pushed him back down.

"Donna, please." His face was red with anger and embarrassment, but Donna kept a hand on his arm as she calmed down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the giggles subsiding as Jackie and Hyde finally quieted down. "I'm sorry, Eric. I know it's been difficult, and I know you won't believe it, but it hasn't been easy for me, either. It's just thirteen more days. Not so bad. It means a lot to me that we'll have something special on our wedding night." She smiled at him and Eric seemed to relax a little as she cuddled next to him on the couch, only to jump back up when the thumping started from the bedroom again. "Good GOD! Again?" Eric just nodded, the horny, haunted look returning to his face as Jackie's breathy moans filled the basement. Together, they scrambled out the door, headed for the Hub to find the least arousing food on the menu.

* * *

_Foreman Basement, 12:49am_

_May 7, 1979_

Jackie sat alone in the darkened basement, waiting for Hyde to get home from work. Her 'I Love Lucy' reruns had long ended, but the television was still on, casting a calming glow over the room. She was broken from a dreamy silence when the basement door swung open, revealing a harried looking Kelso.

"Jackie!" he nearly yelled at her, "Thank God I beat Hyde home. He knocked up some chick and he's already proposed to her and he's just using you for sex until they get married!"

TO BE CONTINUED….

* * *

A/N2: Thank you for reading! Remember, reviews are better than a naked Hyde washing your dishes! 


	4. On The Run

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone that's reviewed; we would love to keep hearing what you think—the first real dip in our rollercoaster is finally here, and we need to know that you're all with us! Remember to stick around, because we promise you'll never be able to anticipate the twists and turns we have planned.

* * *

_Previously:_

_Jackie sat alone in the darkened basement, waiting for Hyde to get home from work. Her 'I Love Lucy' reruns had long ended, but the television was still on, casting a calming glow over the room. She was broken from a dreamy silence when the basement door swung open, revealing a harried looking Kelso._

_"Jackie!" he nearly yelled at her, "Thank God I beat Hyde home. He knocked up some chick and he's already proposed to her and he's just using you for sex until they get married!"_

* * *

**On The Run**

_Foreman Basement - 12:51am_

_May 7, 1979_

Jackie's eyes widened at Kelso's words and his haggard appearance, but her first order of business was to calm him down. Patting the cushion next to her on the couch, she invited him to sit with her.

"Slow down, Michael. What are you talking about?"

"I was here…and Hyde was in there…" He pointed towards Hyde's room, "…and I heard him talking to someone, and Jackie, she's pregnant and he proposed to her I HEARD IT!" Kelso was yelling again by the end of his tirade and Jackie's eyes were wide with fear.

"Michael, you have to calm down. Who was the girl?" She was clearly trying to maintain her cool, but it was becoming more and more difficult as Kelso jittered nervously on the couch.

"I don't know, Jackie! I couldn't see her! His giant white guy 'fro was in the way!" Jackie was starting to get really irritated with him.

Grabbing the front of his shirt, Jackie shook him as she spoke. "DAMN IT MICHAEL!" She slapped him across the face, trying to shock him out of his jitters. "Tell me what you heard!" His eyes seemed to light up with a revelation as he searched his brain.

"I remember something! Hyde said you did her makeup today!"

"I didn't do anyone's makeup today," she trailed off, she let go of his shirt and flopped back on the couch, perplexed. "Except…" Jackie tilted her head as she stared hard at Kelso. "Did this girl actually say anything, Michael, or did you just hear Steven talking?"

"Huh?" Kelso asked, having drifted off while staring at the blank television screen. "Oh, she never talked. Never made a sound. But he was feeling her stomach and proposing to her." He nodded surely, not noticing when Jackie rolled her eyes.

"That must have been Miss Zeppelin, you _Moron_! I put makeup on the rabbit this morning, and she's pregnant." She glared at him angrily, but Kelso just looked outraged.

"Why would he propose to a _rabbit_, Jackie?"

"God, how can you be so stupid!" Jackie smacked him upside the head, trying to leave behind her negative thoughts about Steven. "He must have been practicing because he's so nervous. And he said he has a surprise for me! Oh my God! He's going to propose!" She started bouncing on the couch while Kelso rubbed his head.

"Geez, Jackie. Do you have to be so violent?" He pouted at her, rubbing his head, but gave up when she didn't seem to notice. "Anyways, Hyde's still using you for sex, you know. There's no way he's going to actually marry you, Jackie." She stared at him in shock.

"What the hell are you talking about Michael?"

"Come on, Jackie. He wouldn't even let you say the word 'marriage' two weeks ago; he only agreed to do it because of all the sex."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well why would he buy the cow when he could get the milk for free?" Kelso nodded at the obviousness of the point.

"First of all, I am _not_ a cow. And second of all, he's already mostly bought me! He's obviously going to propose to me soon!" Jackie clasped her hands, still bouncing on the couch as she imagined her perfect proposal, but Kelso cut her off.

"Whatever, Jackie. I'm a guy and I know how guys work. I'm telling you, he's got no intention of going through with it; he's going to stretch the engagement out for as long as you're putting out, and then he'll dump you." Jackie just gaped at his crass assessment of her fiancé's motives.

"Michael!" she gasped. "Just because you're an irresponsible jerk doesn't mean that Steven is!" Jackie was trying hard to think well of Steven, especially after the wonderful two weeks they had had together, but Kelso's words seeped into her mind and began to play upon her insecurities.

"You honestly think that if you cut off the sex, Hyde would keep the engagement?" Her immediate answer was a solid, 'yes.' But a voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like her mother reminded her that Hyde hadn't even agreed to the engagement without extensive persuasion. He hadn't seemed happy about it until she had started acting like a slut. Could it be true that he was only trying to keep her like that? God… What if he really was planning on drawing out the engagement forever? What if cutting him off was the only way to guarantee that they got married, and soon?

Jackie looked up at Kelso, her watery eyes displaying her tremulous emotions. "Oh my God, what am I gonna do, Michael?" she asked quietly.

"I'm really sorry, Jackie," he said, suddenly feeling bad for dumping all of this on her. After all, it was only his guess. It was only what he would have done in Hyde's shoes. Wanting only to comfort his friend, Kelso wrapped his arms around her, letting her lay her face—streaked by falling tears—on his broad chest. Jackie reveled in the familiar feeling of Michael's comfort, surprised by how much manlier he felt than he had when they were dating: his chest was stronger, his arms were buffer, his voice was deeper, and put together, it lulled her into a state of relaxation.

Mere seconds later, the basement door swung open and Hyde stepped inside, his cheerful expression rapidly falling into anger. As he took in the scene in front of him, seeing his girlfriend—the one he planned to propose to in twenty hours—cuddled in the dark basement with Kelso, he could feel his heart lurch in his chest, and he responded the only way he knew how.

"What the _fuck_ is this?" he shouted, causing Kelso to leap away from Jackie, but instead of cowering in guilt and fear as Hyde was expecting, Kelso faced him with anger.

"Ah ha! Nice turn-around, _Hyde_! I think _you're_ the one who should be answering the questions around here! Do you think it's alright to just use Jackie for sex?" Hyde scowled at him, taking one menacing step forward that sent Kelso running up the stairs for safety.

Jackie and Hyde stared at each other, emotions sizzling between them in the basement, and it was a long moment before Hyde spoke.

"So this is why Kelso left work early? To rush home and play couch twister with you? And you're just…" Jackie cut him off by raising a single hand, shaking her head in disbelief of Hyde's distrust. In the silence that followed his break, Hyde flipped on the basement lights, seeing the tear tracks on her cheeks for the first time. He felt his stomach drop as he pieced together her tears with what Kelso had said, and he was starting to apologize when Jackie turned blazing eyes on him. "Jackie, I'm sorry," he started to speak, but Jackie cut him off.

"How can you accuse me of that? What have I _ever_ done to make you think that of me? _You're_ the one who cheated, Steven, NOT ME!"

"Look, Jackie, I said I was sorry, but you were on the couch in the dark laying all over Kelso. You know…" Hyde looked up at her, his eyes apologetic but insecure. "What was I supposed to think?"

"Yeah, Steven. I was alone on the couch with him, so I _must_ have been getting read to screw him, right? And why are you still here, anyways? I was sitting with Michael…isn't that your cue to go fuck a nurse?" He took a step back at that, almost as though he had been hit with a physical blow.

"Come on, Jackie," his words were quiet; he clearly had no desire to continue the fight. But Jackie was upset after her conversation with Kelso; she clearly had no desire to stop.

"You think I'm just some kind of whore, don't you?" she hurled the accusation. "You're only using me like some kind of prostitute, so why wouldn't I sleep with him, right?" Her anger was palpable, and all Hyde could do was shake his head in response.

"What the hell, Jackie? I leave for work and we're fine, and when I come home you're acting like a nut job." All Hyde could think was that they should have been making up after a stupid misunderstanding, and instead he had to defend himself against bizarre allegations. "Look, baby, I'm tired, and I'm not in the mood to fight, okay. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Jackie shook her head and smiled in disbelief. "God, I can see right through you. You're not sorry; you just want me to shut up so you can get laid tonight!"

"What the fuck are you _talking_ about, Jackie?"

"You don't want to marry me; you're just using me!" Sadness crept into her voice as she spoke, but her eyes stayed angry, glaring at Hyde.

"Jackie," he pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket and tossed it to her, "that's a pretty hefty price to pay if all I care about is a quick fuck." Jackie's eyes widened as she caught what she knew was an engagement ring, but Michael's words kept ringing in her head.

"This doesn't mean anything. You're gonna drag our engagement out so you can get as much sex out of me as possible. Well, it's not gonna happen, Steven Hyde! I'm cutting you off until the wedding!" Hyde's eyes widened. "That's right! If Eric can do it, so can you!"

"Do I even need to remind you how Eric reacted to being cut off?" He spoke in a low, dangerous voice, filled with anger, but Jackie glared back at him with even more fury.

"Go fuck yourself, Steven, because I'm sure as hell not doing it!" Gathering up her belongings—including the ring, still in its box—she headed for the basement door, not even sparing him a backwards glace before slamming it behind her.

Defeated, Hyde sunk down onto the couch. That was sure as hell not the way any of this was supposed to go. Laying his head in his hands, Hyde thought back to the past two weeks, when Jackie had truly given herself to him. God, he had never loved her as much as he had when she had let her inhibitions go like that; it was like she had stripped off the last layer of the wall that kept her protected from him, and now she had built it back up.

Walking back to his bedroom, he pulled Miss Zeppelin out of her new cage, setting her bloated body on his chest.

"Well that pretty much sucked, huh?" She twitched her nose in what Hyde assumed was agreement.

"I had that whole damn speech planned. Told you she wouldn't care. I was even gonna get down on one knee and tell her that I love her," he sulked, tossing his head back in his pillow. "She just wanted that ring and now she's got it." Miss Z's back trembled as Hyde stroked his hand through her fur.

"I know. I really fucked up when I assumed the worst about her and Kelso. I'm always doing shit like that. But she has to know it's Kelso I don't trust, not her." Miss Z crooked her head to the side, sniffing the air around his chin.

"But what the hell was all that stuff about treating her like a whore? I've never treated her like that. What could that moron possibly have said to her to make her act like a freakin' lunatic?" A flick of an ear was his only answer.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to kick his ass extra hard tomorrow." Putting the rabbit back in her cage, Hyde fell into bed, hoping that tomorrow would give him the opportunity to pound Kelso's face into the ground and clear up this mess with Jackie.

* * *

_The Hub - 3:26 pm_

_May 7, 1976 (the next day)_

Hyde stood outside the Hub, staring through the window at Michael Kelso, just the moron he had been looking for. Angrily, he jerked the door open and stormed over to where the taller boy was playing Space Invaders and munching on French fries.

"What the _hell_ did you say to my girlfriend!" he growled, grabbing Kelso by the collar of his shirt and turning him around before pushing him into the machine.

"N-n-othing, Hyde. I don't know what you're talking about." His tone of voice broadcast his nervousness, but he didn't seem nearly as guilty as Hyde would have expected. Rolling his eyes, Hyde frogged him anyways, sure that the blame for the fight he had with Jackie lay squarely on his friend's shoulders.

"She cut me off because of you…she's pissed off at me, acting like a fucking lunatic, and I _know_ you had something to do with it!"

Rubbing his shoulder, Kelso responded flippantly, "Oh, yeah. Well, she was just telling me about how she thinks you're using her for sex." Hyde scowled at his friend before asking:

"And what did you say?"

"Just, you know, that you probably were. Was that not okay?" Hyde took a menacing step towards his cornered friend making Kelso cower in fear against the arcade game.

"You have five seconds to get the hell out of here before I kick your ass!" Shaking from the fear of Hyde's threat, Kelso ran out of the hang out.

With a loud sigh of resignation, Hyde picked up his friend's snack and sat down. God, it was going to be a long couple of months for him, and Hyde planned on making that time as brutal for Kelso as it was going to be for him.

* * *

_Point Place Mall - 2:47pm_

_May 13, 1979 (six days later)_

Jackie and Donna wandered together through the day's bridal expo, passing up flowers in favor of a cake tasting.

"I like the vanilla butter cream, what do you think Jackie?" Donna asked thoughtfully, sampling bites of different cakes.

"God, Donna! Can you stop talking about food for one second?"

"We're at a cake tasting, Jackie! I'm pretty sure we're supposed to talk about it." Donna rolled her eyes as Jackie huffed.

"The cake doesn't matter anyways, as long as it's decorated with me and Steven riding a pink unicorn," she trailed off dreamily. "God, you have frosting all over your mouth like some fat girl!"

Wiping a finger over her lips, Donna pulled away a tiny spot of frosting. "What the hell crawled up your ass, anyways? You've been acting like a spaz for the past week!"

"Six days, twenty hours, and," Jackie snuck a peak at her watch, "seven minutes." Jackie slumped in her chair. "That's how long it's been since Steven and I have made love! Do you have any idea what that's like!" She scoffed at Donna when the red head scowled at her. "Don't give me that look. You were with Eric…how good could it have possibly been?" She continued, unaware of the angry look her friend was shooting in her direction. "Steven was never happy unless he made me cum at least twice. And that's if we were in a hurry." Donna's anger faded at her friend's wistful look.

"So, why don't you just do it with him, then? Unless you're concerned about making the honeymoon special?" Jackie laughed out loud at that.

"Pfft. Steven would make the honeymoon special no matter what. Oh, Donna. He's just so…creative."

Donna strolled ahead of her friend, examining centerpieces and trying not to imagine Hyde's creativity. "Then why aren't you doing it with him and sparing me from this _really unpleasant_ conversation? He bought you that damn ring, you know he's gonna marry you...why the hell are you putting yourself—and him—through this? So you had a fight…you made up, right?"

Jackie nodded, playing with the small diamond on her finger. "It's just… If I can make him wait until we're married, then I'll be sure he really wants me, you know? I already got him to set the date for July—before I cut him off, he wouldn't even discuss dates." Lost in her thoughts about summer weddings and colors, Jackie failed to notice Donna's outrage.

"God, Jackie! That's even worse than your stupid blow job plan. What happened to just loving him and being with him; why do you have to turn everything into some struggle for control? Besides, if you've already gotten him to set the date…then why don't you just stop this stupid plan?"

"Because, _Donna_, sex _is_ about control. And I can't cave now! He would win! I need to have _something_ that I can always hang over his head, you know? For our whole married life, he'll always know that I can hold out longer than he can, and therefore he'll always obey me." Jackie smiled at her logic, but Donna's outraged frown deepened.

"Mark my words, Jackie. This is going to backfire on you. Hell, my reasons for abstaining with Eric were based on a desire to make sex more special when we're married, and he can barely keep it in his pants. How do you think Hyde's gonna react?" Jackie blanched at the thought of Hyde getting his release somewhere else—from someone else—but she quickly pushed the thought aside.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's see if there's anyone here that has doves we can release at the end of the ceremony!" Jackie bounced off in search of different vendors and Donna trailed behind her, exasperated.

* * *

_Foreman Basement - 8:21pm_

_May 19, 1979 (six days later)_

Hyde jogged down the steps to the basement after hightailing it out of the Hub. The damned place was a fucking orgy of teenagers—making out here, feeling each other up there—and it had nearly driven him to homicide. Had it always been like that, he wondered, or was it just the involuntary vow of abstinence that his 100 pound fiancé had strong-armed him into that made him suddenly take notice? A few moments after closing the door behind him, Hyde stepped into his room to find the little mafioso herself leisurely sprawled—tummy down, facing away from him—across his bed, casually turning his pregnant rabbit into a streetwalker.

Jackie applied the final touch to Miss Z's make-over: a pretty pink bow tied expertly to her right ear. "There, maybe now _you_ can teach Donna a few things about being a girl." She smiled and kissed the bunny's pink nose. "A pretty one. I've tried, but she just doesn't listen."

Choosing not to speak at this, Hyde just stood and watched Jackie, dressed in her shortest short shorts, inadvertently give him a show. Her hips twisted from side to side as she cooed at Miss Z, allowing him a perfect view of her thighs, tanned and toned, as they met up with the base of her ass. He could imagine the million times he had grabbed her there, bitten her there... _fuck this shit_, he thought as he snuck up and lowered himself over her, grinding his already raging erection hard against her ass. "I need you, baby," he groaned, his words muffled in her hair as he searched out the soft skin buried underneath, "Now."

Jackie squirmed beneath him, providing the necessary friction his aching hard-on needed, further fueling his intense desire for her. "Steven, stop it," she scolded, "you know you can't have me until the wedding. So why do you torture yourself?"

"Come on, Jackie," he practically shouted as she slipped out from underneath him, taking Miss Z with her, "What the fuck? This whole thing is getting stupid!"

"Is it, Steven? Is it stupid?" Jackie yelled, leaning forward in her angry stance, "Stupid like when I took you back after that nurse? Or stupid like when you assumed that I was about to screw Michael on the basement couch? Which one is it?" Hyde pursed his lips, tired of having the same shit thrown in his face, over and over, for two straight weeks. He stood up to face her and tried to mollify his own temper; a fight was not what he was looking for.

"I think maybe you should move back in with Donna," he said next, evoking the reaction he expected from her. Her eyes narrowed. "At least until the wedding—ours," he clarified.

"Why, so you can sneak a few skanks in before I put the ball and chain on you?"

Hyde shook his head and held strong against her death stare. "_NO._ So I can get rid of this fucking hard-on. I can't sleep next to you anymore, Jackie. It's driving me crazy."

"That is such a load of crap, Steven. I've been sleeping next to you and _I'm_ fine."

A bold-faced lie.

"Are you? Well, I'm not," Hyde said as he stepped up to her and grabbed her hand, placing it squarely on his swollen dick, "_This_," he growled, low in his throat, "won't go away." Hyde paused for a moment before saying something he would later come to regret. "You absolutely sure you want to send me to a strip club with this?"

Jackie tightened her grip and twisted. "Are you threatening me, Steven?"

"_NO,_" Hyde grumbled, ripping himself away from her grasp, "I'm not. I'm just sick of you throwing my old mistakes in my face! You've done nothing but yell at me and treat me like shit for two weeks now! What the hell happened to you, Jackie? It's like the second you got that ring, you turned into a raging bitch!"

Jackie gasped. "_You_ have a lot of nerve..."

"And why the hell is Miss Z wearing a god damned dress?" Hyde continued, interrupting her, "I swear to god you've lost your fucking mind, woman!"

Jackie stood before him, _pissed_, until she had a revelation. "OH, I get it," she snarled, "You're not getting any, so you don't have to be nice to me anymore, right? _Jackie's not putting out and being a slut so screw it, I can go back to being a big, fat ASSHOLE!_"

Hyde remained calm in the face of her accusations. "Is that what you really think of me?"

"Yes."

"Then get out."

"Fine," she huffed, moving toward the door, "but I'm taking _MY_ bunny with me!"

"She's not _YOUR_ bunny," he called out moments after she left. The basement door slammed. "Damn it!"

Hyde laid back on his bed, frustrated, trying to block out the alluring scent of Jackie that clung to his goose down duvet. Looking around, he briefly wondered when his whole room had become a giant reminder of her…and when he had grown to _like_ that. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about her and failing miserably. It had been unbearably _hard_ to put up with her holding out, but any time he started to question it, she just brought up the nurse, and how could he argue with that? God, he knew he was a lucky SOB to still be with her after that, but it was growing difficult to remember that while she was being so cold. Briefly, he contemplated taking care of the iron rod currently making his jeans too tight, but his pride wouldn't let him jack off to images of Jackie again. Instead, he tried to remember how it felt to walk into a room and see her face light up right before he kissed her. Shaking his head to clear it of the now-depressing images, Hyde started to get ready for the bachelor party, thinking that he definitely needed some circle time first.

* * *

_Foreman Basemen /Donna's room - 9:17 p.m._

HYDE, ERIC, KELSO, AND FEZ SIT IN THE CIRCLE IN THE BASEMENT, ON A SPLIT SCREEN, DONNA JACKIE, LAURIE, AND MISS Z SIT IN A CIRCLE IN DONNA'S ROOM. EVERYONE IS DRESSED UP, INCLUDING MISS Z, AND READY TO HEAD FOR THE STRIP CLUBS. WE SHIFT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO CIRCLES.

ERIC: (horrified) I can't believe Donna bought us a _trailer_. God, I hate it but I can't tell her!

DONNA: (upset) I think Eric hates the trailer. But he would never tell me. I mean, I just wanted a private place for the two of us to... _you know._

HYDE: (frustrated) Oh, quit your cryin', Foreman. She just wanted the two of you to have a place all to yourselves to have honeymoon sex in: somewhere small and disappointing (he smirks)...like you.

JACKIE: Of _course_ he hates it, Donna! It's like you told him that you think your marriage is going to be cheap, trashy, and unreliable… like Steven!

KELSO: I once banged a married chick who lived in a trailer. It was great! It was close to the ground and easy to sneak out of, except that I was always tripping over this scary looking gnome on my way out.

LAURIE: (with a ditzy smile) Yeah, I once dated a married guy who lived in a trailer. (thoughtfully) It was really easy to sneak out of, but there was always this creepy garden gnome set up right below the window that got in my way.

FEZ: (sadly) Ai. I wish I had a girlfriend to buy me a trashy trailer with a creepy gnome to do it in.

MISS Z: (munches on a carrot)

ERIC: (still worried) I know what she was trying to do, Hyde; I just don't want her to wake up in five years and realize that she could have done better!

DONNA: Oh my god, I bet he hates the trailer cause he doesn't want to have sex with me... damn it, I should have just let him do that thing!

HYDE: Come on, Foreman, that's crazy. Of course Donna's gonna realize she could've done better, (grins) but hopefully she won't realize it until _after _she lets you do that thing.

JACKIE: Eww! No you shouldn't have, Donna! That _thing_ is what you need to hold over his head until he dies…or at least until you realize you can do better.

KELSO: (frustrated) Man, I wish I could get Brooke to let me do that thing. She's pregnant with my baby and I can't even get to second base!

LAURIE: Yeah, you totally should have let him do that thing, Donna. Jeez! I let a guy do it before he even gets to second base! (rolls her eyes)

FEZ: (frustrated) Ai. I wish I had a hot pregnant girlfriend to deny me boob.

MISS Z: (twitches the ear with the pink bow tied to it)

ERIC: Yeah. Hopefully, after we're married, Donna will let me do that thing. (pauses) Oh, who am I kidding? I just want her to let me do _anything_ so I don't have to keep using my Jedi _hand_ trick. (wiggles his hand)

DONNA: Whatever. I'm just glad we'll have somewhere private for the two of us. I'm getting _really_ sick of going Hand Solo, if you catch my drift.

HYDE: (smirking) Yeah. I'm getting tired of buttering my own corn, too, if you know what I mean.

JACKIE: (smiling) Oh my God, Donna, I totally know what you mean. My poor, delicate hand is getting sore from frosting my own love muffin.

KELSO: (with a dumb grin) You mean investigating your crime scene?

LAURIE: (with a big smile) You mean exploring your tunnel of love?

FEZ: You mean polishing your purple headed yogurt pistol?

MISS Z: (reaches her head back and bites on her dress)

EVERYONE IS SMILING, TRYING TO MAKE EACH OTHER LAUGH

ERIC: Jacking off!

DONNA: Jilling off!

HYDE: (raises an eyebrow and nods) Strumming the one stringed banjo.

JACKIE: (proud of herself) Playing the pelvic piano!

KELSO: Putting the Kleenex kids through college!

LAURIE: (with a big smile) Tangsterbating!

FEZ: Ohh! I have another one! Shaking hands with the one-eyed milk man!

MISS Z: (sniffs the smoke and wiggles her nose)

EVERYONE IS LAUGHING HARD BY NOW.

ERIC: Spanking the monkey!

DONNA: Beating the beaver!

HYDE: Doing the five finger knuckle shuffle!

JACKIE: Ewww, Donna! That's gross! (gets excited) Dancing the two digit disco!

KELSO: (with a dopey grin) Choking the chicken!

LAURIE: (with a big, ditzy smile, obviously proud of herself) Giving the fuzzy bunny a carrot!

MISS Z: (munches on her carrot while all the girls laugh)

* * *

_Chubby's Strip Club - 9:49pm_

_Eric's Bachelor Party_

"_Young Lust" by Pink Floyd plays in the background._

_I am just a new boy  
Stranger in this town  
Where are all the good times?  
Who's gonna show this stranger around?_

Kelso and Fez, giddy as two perverts in a strip club, charged towards the nudity while Eric and Hyde made a beeline for the bar.

"I need some fucking Jack," Hyde grumbled as they sat down, and Eric nodded his agreement.

"What am I gonna do about Donna, Hyde? How can I marry her when I'm dooming her to a life as trailer trash?" Eric knocked his head against the wooden bar as the bartender lined up shots in front of them.

"Easy. You walk down the isle and say 'I do.' At least you'll be getting some within 48 hours. I'm looking at another two months. A very very _long_ two months." Shaking his head in frustration, Hyde quickly pounded back six shots while Eric stared at him.

_Ooooh, I need a dirty woman  
Ooooh, I need a dirty girl_

"Dude, it's barely been two weeks! How bad can it possibly be?"

"_Bad_ Foreman! I don't know what you were doing with Donna, but Jackie was…God, she was up for anything. Everything. Especially lately. And then she just cut me off and started acting crazy!" He collapsed against the bar, setting his cheek on the cool surface. "_Fuck_." Hyde was really starting to feel the alcohol when he was startled by the sensation of long nails scratching down his back. Turning around, he found himself at eye level with large, perky breasts barely covered by sequined red cotton.

"You're a hottie!" A husky female voice rasped in his ear. "Eric, right? Your friends over there," she gestured towards Kelso and Fez, "bought you a lap dance." Hyde finally tore his eyes away from her tits long enough to see a moderately attractive blonde staring down at him.

_Will some woman in this desert land  
Make me feel like a real man  
Take this rock and roll refugee  
Oooh, baby set me free_

"No, Eric's uhhh," glancing around, Hyde noticed that Eric had disappeared. "Well, I don't know where he is, but he's not me." He was about to turn back around to the bar when she started to trail her nails down his chest, scratching at his stomach.

"That's okay, baby. My shift is over anyways." Winking at him, the blonde took hold of his hand and began to pull him towards a back room, her intentions crystal clear.

"I, uh, I…" He knew he shouldn't follow her, but the alcohol coursing through his system made him unable to remember why. All his drunk, lust filled mind could remember was that he hadn't had sex in nearly two weeks, so he followed her.

_Ooooh, I need a dirty woman  
Ooooh, I need a dirty girl_

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

**A/N 2:** Please leave us a review! Remember, anonymous reviews are accepted, so even if you've never reviewed a story before…we want to know what you think! Reviews are better than a naked Hyde washing your car! 


	5. Time

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! Please keep it up and keep reading. You'll never anticipate what's coming next! Some of it will be a little dark and not so nice, and we're sorry for that. But, please stick with us and review, anyway. We would MUCH rather have people tell us that we are meanies than have no reviews at all. And we _know_ we might piss you off a little, so if all you want to do is flame us then that is totally ok. We WANT to hear whatever it is you have to say, even if it's bad, and we won't hold it against you, we promise. Just remember, we are both sick, twisted individuals, but we love Hyde and Jackie, and we promise that there will be a _very_ happy ending with baby bunnies and a naked Hyde. :P

* * *

_**Previously**:_

"_That's okay, baby. My shift is over anyways." Winking at him, the blonde stripper took hold of his hand and began to pull him towards a back room, her intentions crystal clear. _

"_I, uh, I…" He knew he shouldn't follow her, but the alcohol coursing through his system made him unable to remember why. All his drunk, lust filled mind could remember was that he hadn't had sex in nearly two weeks, so he followed her._

* * *

**Time**

_The Wet Spot Strip Club - 9:49 pm_

_Donna's Bachelorette Party_

"Do you think he would cheat on me, Donna?" Jackie asked, twirling the straw in her Jack and Coke, barely even looking up at the half naked men.

"God, Jackie. Hyde wouldn't do that after proposing to you, okay? Just relax." Looking up at the 'cop' in front of her, Donna let out an appreciative hoot and turned her attention away from Jackie.

"But, Donna…what did he mean, then, about not sending him to a strip club with a…you know." Jackie blushed and Donna rolled her eyes.

"For the last freakin' time, Jackie, Hyde is more likely to go on a homicidal rampage than cheat on you again, okay? He loves you!"

"He never says he does," Jackie whispered quietly. "It's hard, you know?" She seemed to think for a minute. "Of _course_ you don't know; you're with _Eric_. The odds of him finding someone to cheat with are, like, zero, and he tells you he loves you all the time." She didn't notice Donna's irritated glare as her thoughts turned from Eric to Hyde. "Steven _loves_ sluts. And sluts love Steven! God, Donna, he's like a slut magnet. I bet he would marry a freakin' stripper if she got him drunk and put out enough." She banged her head against the table as Donna stared at her.

"Maybe you need another drink, Jackie." Nodding, Jackie wandered towards the bar, barely paying attention to anything happening in the club until she caught the profile of the bartender. Kasey Kelso. She smiled as she stared at him; once upon a time, she had had the hugest crush on him. He was everything Michael wasn't: charming, built, eloquent. A part of her wondered if a large part of her "love" for Michael wasn't totally based on the idea that he could be like Kasey. That was just silly, though, and Jackie shook the thought from her brain as she sashayed up to the bar, shooting Kasey a brilliant smile and ordering another drink.

"Hey, Burkhardt." Her name rolled off his tongue just like she remembered, and she smiled widely at him as he handed over her drink.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 

_Chubby's Strip Club - 10:12pm _

"I'm Candie, by the way," the blonde whispered as she pushed Hyde into a straight back chair in the back room. Hyde just nodded, not feeling the need to share anything about himself as she straddled his lap, grinding her core against his prominent erection. "Mmm, you feel nice and ready for me, baby," she whispered. It seemed inappropriate to point out that she had nothing to do with his stiffy, so he just sat back awkwardly while her covered breasts jiggled alluringly in front of him. His breath caught as she reached behind to untie her top, leaving her half naked on top of him.

She began to move over him again, grinding against him expertly and leaning in so that her bare breasts brushed his face. When she leaned in close, Hyde was overwhelmed by the scent of her cheap floral perfume. The smell was almost nauseating, but he felt a driving need for release, so he focusing instead on the way she swayed hypnotically above him.

Hyde tried to swallow down his feelings of guilt as he raised his hands to slide up Candie's naked torso. He hesitated for a moment as he was about to cup her breasts, but she smiled reassuringly, giving him all the encouragement he needed to knead her soft flesh in his hands. Closing his eyes, Hyde realized that it had been two weeks since he had seen Jackie naked, two weeks since he had touched her like this. He smiled with fulfillment as he pulled on Candie's nipples, making her moan above him as she continued to grind.

As Candie pulled Hyde's shirt over his head, Hyde groaned at the feeling of her nails—much longer than Jackie's—scratching over his chest, paying special attention to his nipples. A gasp fell from his mouth as her lips closed over his…

* * *

_The Wet Spot - 10:12pm _

"How've you been, Kasey?" Jackie asked, smiling back at his charming smile.

"You know, same old same old," he smiled at her, reaching under the bar as he produced her drink, another Jack and Coke. "What are you up to, Jackie?" He asked as she took her drink gratefully, grimacing at her first sip.

"This is strong!" she giggled, taking another long sip. Kasey just nodded. "Getting married," Jackie squealed, holding up her sparking engagement ring for Kasey to see.

"Here for your bachelorette party, then?" he leered at her.

"No, for Donna's; her and Eric are getting married the day after tomorrow." She watched Kasey's eyebrow twitch, feeling vaguely jealous that Donna had gotten to be with him and that he still obviously thought of her amorously, before she continued. "_My_ wedding's in two months."

"So Pinciotti's finally settling for Foreplay, huh?" Jackie just laughed and nodded her head, beginning to feel a little light headed from the alcohol. She was still giggling when Donna came up behind her.

"Jackie! How much have you had to drink?" the redhead asked as she observed her smaller friend's red face and giggling. Looking up at the bartender, Donna saw Kasey for the first time. "Kasey!" She sounded pleasantly surprised, like she was greeting an old friend rather than the man who broke her heart, and Jackie was glad that Donna wasn't going to badger her about drinking.

Watching Donna and Kasey talk, Jackie was surprised to find that Donna was no longer the giggly schoolgirl she used to be around him. Instead, they caught up briefly; Donna ignored her completely, but Kasey threw her a flirtatious glance every now and then as she stared at his strong chest. After five minutes of watching their idle chatter, Jackie heaved a loud sigh, prompting Donna to return to her line of questioning about the smaller girl's alcohol consumption.

"I think you've had enough," Donna said, grabbing Jackie's potent drink from her hand and setting it down out of reach, "Maybe we should go."

"What? Why? I'm fine."

"Yeah, Pinciotti, what's the hurry? You're gonna leave your own bachelorette party?"

Donna looked over at her guests, girls from the radio station, and knew that she couldn't leave, but she had to get Jackie out of there. "Crap." It was then that for the first time in her life, she was grateful to hear Laurie Forman's squeaky voice.

"Man, this sucks. I've had sex with every guy here. Ew, including you," she said, sneering at Kasey as she sauntered up to the bar.

"Laurie."

"Loser." Laurie turned her attention to Donna. "I'm outta here. I think I'm gonna hit fire station 12—It's poker night."

Donna smiled, thankful for her whore of a future sister-in-law. "Well, hey. Why don't you give Jackie a ride home on your way?"

Jackie glared at the redhead. "Why do you want me to leave so bad, Donna?" She asked the question but secretly suspected that she already knew the answer: Donna was jealous that Kasey was giving her so much attention.

"Don't you want to be there when Hyde gets back from that strip club? You know, so you can check his wallet."

Jackie looked confused. "But I already took all the ones out… Oh! But he still had that twenty! You're right. I should be there. I'll see you back at your house later." Jackie linked arms with Laurie and the two girls walked out of the strip club, giggling at the naked boys who smiled at them on their way out.

"Was he good?" Jackie whispered, referring to the naval officer currently winking at her.

"Nah, he was always trying to make me do that thing… _to him_."

"Ew!"

* * *

_Chubby's_

Hyde relaxed as Candie's tongue slipped past his lips, kissing her deeply as his hands slid up her naked back and into her long blonde hair. They continued to kiss as her fingers began to toy with his belt buckle, pulling it apart and dragging his belt out of his pants in one long, smooth stroke. As she reached into his pants, Hyde's sense of guilt flared up and he pushed her away, gathering his shirt and belt as he backed away from her.

"Look, I have a fiancé, and…" Hyde turned away from her as he dressed, unable to continue staring at her naked breasts. "I love her. I can't do this. So, uh…" Quickly, Hyde hightailed it out of the back room and out into the club in search of Eric.

Meanwhile, out in the main room of the club, Kelso and Fez sat down in front of the stage and continued their discussion…

"So let me get this straight," Fez began, "all I have to do is fold my dollar like this," he folded his crisp bill lengthwise, "and wave it around, and she will just come to me?"

"Yes."

"That half naked goddess over there?"

"Yes."

"Just wave it like this?"

"Yes."

"And she'll come over _here_?"

"Uh huh," Kelso elaborated, "and then she'll even let you stick it in her panties with your teeth after she's done dancing for you."

Fez gasped and grabbed his chest. "You are lying."

"No."

The little foreigner smiled dreamily. "Oh, only in Amedica."

"No, it's everywhere man."

"You are _lying_!"

"Nope."

Fez began to wave vigorously just as

Hyde walked up, pale as a ghost and covered in sweat. "Hey, where's Forman?'

"Not here, man." Kelso answered, never taking his brown eyes off the pair of double-Ds jiggling only feet away from his face, "haven't seen him since we got here."

"Dammit. Where the hell is he then?"

Fez nudged Kelso, snapping him out of his lustful fog and reminding him of something even more juicy than "Bambi the stripper" and her jiggly boobs. "Oh, yeah. So, _Hyde,_" Kelso turned purposefully in his chair to look at Hyde, "I have a random question for you. Me and Fezzy here were just discussing the awesome season the Packer's had last year and we can't seem to come to an agreement on one thing, so uh, maybe _you_ can answer it for us." Fez and Kelso shared a mischievous smile.

Hyde scanned the room for Eric, barely catching his friend's question. "What? Yeah, whatever, man." he said, impatiently motioning for him to hurry.

"Okay, so what me and Fez were wondering is… Do you think it's alright to do it with a stripper when you're supposed to be engaged to another girl, say for instance, a girl like…_Jackie!"_

That got Hyde's attention. "Man, shut the hell up! I didn't do anything with her!"

"Yes, you did. We totally saw you makin' out with that stripper, man." Kelso smirked quickly at Fez and then returned his focus back to Hyde. "By the way, she was pretty hot."

Fez nodded. "Yes, and her breasts were large—like cantaloupe, my favorite of all the boob-shaped fruits."

Hyde glared at his two perverted friends, his breathe struggling to regulate itself. "You two are this close to getting your asses kicked. She wasn't hot and I stopped… I didn't cheat on Jackie!"

Fez's nod quickened. "Yes. You did."

"No, I didn't."

Kelso furrowed his brow, slightly confused. "Yeah, you did, man. We _just_ saw you."

"I only kissed her!"

"Kissing is cheating, man; I should know. _You_ cheated."

"NO! I didn't!" Hyde practically yelled. But, Kelso and Fez both grinned at him, disbelieving every word that came out of his dirty, stripper infested mouth, and he couldn't blame them. "Forget it!"

* * *

_The Wet Spot parking lot _

"Oh my God, Pete?" Laurie, still arm in arm with Jackie, called out to a man dressed as an Indian chief. Quickly dropping Jackie's arm, Laurie ran to the Indian and was quickly engaged in a hot and heavy make out session against a large dumpster. Jackie just rolled her eyes at the whole affair, idly wondering if this meant that she could go back inside and find Kasey. Why did Donna have to be such a giant bitch about forcing her out anyways?

"Hey, Burkhardt, need a ride?" Kasey's voice came from behind her, and she spun around to see him walking out of the club's backdoor.

"Yeah, uh…" They glanced back to Laurie and Pete, sharing an awkward laugh before Kasey placed his hand on the small of her back and waited. Jackie just stared up at him in awe.

"You, uh, waiting for someone to show you the way," Kasey asked, smirking and gently guiding her to his car.

Jackie smiled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry. So, are you done? I mean, is your shift over?"

"Ended at eleven," Kasey offered. "I was gonna stick around for a while, but if you're not there, why bother?" He grinned sexily at her and Jackie swooned as he unlocked the passenger door of his shiny red Trans Am.

"I _love_ your car, Kasey!" Jackie sighed, climbing into her seat.

"Everybody does." He smiled at her before closing her door and walking around to his side of the car. They were quiet as Kasey started the car and pulled out of the strip club parking lot.

Jackie sat back in her seat, letting her eyes trail over Kasey's body as he drove. His chest looked so hard beneath his shirt, and she couldn't help but wonder if it would be hairy like Steven's or smooth like Michael's. The brief thought of Hyde snapped something in her mind. Hyde…fiancé. She shouldn't be lusting after Kasey as an engaged woman! Strengthened by this thought, Jackie turned away from Kasey, and everything might have been fine if he hadn't chosen that moment to slide his hand over and onto her thigh, bare because of her short dress.

"K-Kasey," she whispered, preparing to protest. The feeling of his warm hand on her skin silenced her, though, and her eyes drifted closed.

* * *

_Chubby's - 11:10 pm_

Hyde shook his head and stalked to the parking lot, noticing the absence of the Vista Cruiser. So Eric really had taken off - the pussy

Glad that he had brought his own car and not even second guessing his decision to leave Kelso and Fez stranded at the club, Hyde jumped in the El Camino. First stop would be the Foreman's, maybe to try and find Eric, and then to wait for Jackie in Donna's room. He needed to apologize like crazy, beg for forgiveness, and tell her that he'd rather sleep next to her without sex than have her living apart from him. His plan was to bring her home—well, to the Forman's home—to the basement where she belonged. Besides, Miss Zeppelin was still at the Pinciotti's after Jackie had stormed off with her. Hyde didn't even try to understand the sudden need he felt to have them both with him—his two girls.

Flipping on the radio, the sounds of Pink Floyd filled his ears, and his foot subconsciously pushed harder on the accelerator.

_So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking  
Racing around to come up behind you again.  
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,  
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death._

Swallowing hard, Hyde wondered if it was too late for him and Jackie. He felt like a complete asshole, like he had validated all the reasons Jackie had wanted to cut him off in the first place. She told him she was worried that he only wanted her for sex, and less than two weeks later, he was ready to bang a fucking whore. He thought back to the day he had promised her that it would never happen again, the disappointed look on her face etched forever in his memory, the sorrow in her voice… _"That's exactly what Michael used to say."_

Hyde slammed his palm into the steering wheel. "Fuck!"

An overwhelming feeling of guilt had his stomach twisted into a knot. He had kissed the stripper and drunk or not, it was still cheating, and he knew he would have to tell Jackie; he may have been many things in his young life, but he wasn't a liar. Convinced he was about to lose the only person who ever really mattered to him, Hyde's foot eased up off the gas; he needed time to think. How was he going to show her that she was everything, the only thing, he wanted and make her stay? How was he going to convince her that he loved her more than his own life and to give him a second—scratch that—_third_ chance?

He returned his frustrations to his steering wheel. "_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"_ She wasn't going to forgive him this time. No way. "Fuck," he muttered. No way.

Then it occurred to him, he needed to find that pussy, Forman. He would know what to do. Hyde punched the gas.

* * *

_Foreman House - 11:10 pm_

Kasey followed Jackie up the sidewalk to the Foreman's front door, keeping his hands on her hips to steady her somewhat wobbly frame. As she fumbled with the doorknob, Kasey leaned over her shoulder and blew softly in her ear, sending her into peals of drunken laughter as the door finally flew open. Stepping inside, they saw Kitty sitting on the couch stuffing bags with colorful Jordan almonds and finishing off the last of a bottle of white zinfandel.

"Red, you're supposed to be helping me!" she called into the kitchen, earning her Red's head poking through the swinging door.

"Now, Kitty, you _know_ I'm not going to touch that frou frou crap. I've got my own project," Red smiled, holding up a can of beer before disappearing into the kitchen again.

"Sure, Red. Somehow you can never seem to find the time for my projects, but there's plenty of time to drink beer." Finally noticing the open front door, Kitty became excited. "Kasey!" she exclaimed as the handsome man stepped into the room. Patting her hair self consciously, she smiled at him as she continued, "What are you doing here?" Jackie burst into laughter again as she watched Mrs. Foreman try to flirt, and Kasey steadied her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Jackie here had a little too much to drink, Mrs. F, so I offered to do the responsible thing and give her a lift back to Donna's."

Managing to quell her giggles for a moment, Jackie added, "I offered Kasey the basement couch to sleep on, if that's okay."

Bursting into her own drunken laughter, Kitty nodded her approval. "Actually, why don't you show him up to Eric's room, sweetie?" Jackie nodded, taking hold of Kasey's hand as she led him up the staircase and into Eric's room. She was going to turn around and leave Kasey, but before she could, he pulled her into the bedroom by the hand still clamped firmly in his and closed the door. Disengaging their hands, Jackie walked into the room, pacing the small space anxiously as Kasey followed her past Eric's bed.

"I can get you some extra…" Jackie began to nervously whisper, but she was silenced as Kasey pulled his shirt over his head, leaving him bare-chested in the small, dark bedroom. Focusing only on the way the dim light from the window seemed to glisten over his muscles, Jackie reached out a hand and ran it from his neck down his firm chest to rest over his stomach. She smiled briefly at the thought that it wasn't just Michael that kept his chest hairless, but forgot about everything other than Kasey as he pushed the thin straps of her dress down her shoulders.

Her head cleared momentarily as Kasey watched her. "Kasey, I don't think…" He cut off her words by brushing his finger over her lips before trailing it across her cheek. As it trailed over her ear, she tried again, "We shouldn't…" She was silenced by a hard kiss, and she seemed to forget what she was going to say as his hands began to move over her. It had been such a long two weeks without sex, and even though she knew it was wrong, Jackie couldn't seem to help herself as Kasey touched her. His fingertips gently brushed down the sides of her neck and across her bare shoulders, causing goosebumps to rise all over Jackie's arms. She offered no protest when his nimble fingers moved to the zipper on her dress, so he quickly sent the garment to the floor, leaving Jackie in nothing but her panties. Taking a step back, Kasey's breath caught in his throat as he stared at her nearly nude body.

"God. You were hot when you were dating the twerp, but…damn, Jackie," he whispered, taking a few moments to rake his eyes from her head to her toes as she stood before him. Reaching an unsteady hand towards her, his fingers traced the same path down her neck and shoulders, but this time he continued lower, lightly tickling the skin around her breasts so that her eyes drifted closed as she shuddered against him, moaning softly. He carefully avoided touching the sensitive flesh, letting his hands wander down her flat stomach, savoring the feel of her soft skin under his hands. When she moaned again and arched her back, pushing her chest towards him, he let one hand grip her waist while the other drifted down to feel the silken material of her panties. As he began to rub a finger over the delicate area between her legs, her eyes snapped open, radiating her pleasure.

Looking deeply into her eyes, Kasey tightened his grip on her waist, letting the other rise from between her legs to tangle in her long hair. Their mouths connected, tongues tangling together with unexpected urgency as Jackie moaned into his mouth again, prompting Kasey to pull her small body flush against his larger one. As their bare chests pressed together, they groaned in unison, savoring the feel of flesh on flesh and rubbing against each other as their kiss continued.

Still lost in his mouth, Jackie's hands fumbled with Kasey's pants, trying to find a buckle or a zipper. He pushed her away with a slight smirk, and gave a gentle tug at his pants, causing them to rip apart. Holding the material up to her, he showed her the tiny buttons lining the legs of the pants.

"One of the perks of working at the club," he smirked before catching her lips again and dumping the cloth on the floor. As they kissed, Kasey worked Jackie's panties down her legs before he slowly stripped off his boxers—his last article of clothing. His large, bare erection brushed over her thigh as he pushed her naked body up against the wall next to Eric's GI Joe collection, kissing her once more on the mouth before trailing his lips down her neck where he bit and licked sensually. At Jackie's gasp, Kasey smiled widely before trailing nips and sucking kisses down from her neck to the hard peaks of her breasts.

"Yes, Kasey," Jackie moaned lazily as his lips closed over her nipple, sucking hard on the tender flesh. As he let his teeth graze the small bud, Jackie wrapped one leg around his upright form, bringing his throbbing manhood into contact with her wet core.

"Fuck, Jackie," he groaned against her breast, letting one hand drift down into the slippery curls between her thighs. Two fingers sunk into her tight entrance, expertly massaging her channel as Jackie ground against him, crying out in pleasure as she moved against him. With a few quick flicks of his thumb, Kasey sent her crashing over the edge, capturing her screams in between his lips as she came.

Drawing his fingers out of her, Kasey brought them to his mouth and licked them clean in one of the most erotic displays Jackie had ever seen. Wasting no time, Kasey lifted Jackie's legs off the floor, wrapping them around his waist and guiding his aching cock into her heat in one slow thrust. They moaned together when he was fully embedded inside of her, and they began to move together moaning and gasping as they strove towards orgasm. Jackie captured Kasey's lips, overcome by a sense of fulfillment after two long weeks of abstinence that left no room for guilt.

Neither noticed at first when Eric's bedroom door swung open, revealing a tipsy Hyde in search of a missing Eric.

"Hey, Forman, you _pussy_, why'd you…" He stopped, mid-sentence, and stared at the sight in front of him—the girl he loved fucking a Kelso—and felt his heart sink past his feet. From his position at the door, he had an inexplicably clear view of their faces, and somehow the sight of their locked lips was worse than their grinding naked bodies. Jackie's eyes snapped open, and suddenly Hyde was staring into her eyes, though hers were too glazed with pleasure to even register his presence. Anger flared up in him, intense and burning, and he had no idea what he was going to do when he heard Jackie scream out _his_ name—Kasey's name—in the obvious throws of orgasm. Hyde could almost feel something inside him die at the sound of it. Their eyes still locked, Jackie finally seemed to register his presence as she came down, though Kasey was still thrusting into her, becoming rougher as he neared his own peak.

"Steven," Jackie whimpered, dismayed at what was happening and trying to push Kasey away. Her struggles against him only prompted him to pick up his pace, though.

"Oh God, Jackie," Kasey moaned, his whole body tensing as Hyde watched him come inside his fiancé.

Jackie watched in horror as the visual of Kasey's orgasm seemed to drain Hyde's anger. The hot tempered man she knew and loved changed before her eyes, his passionate blue eyes dimming to a lifeless gray. His expression hardened, burying his hurt, and he walked away from Eric's room, heading for the basement.

To Be Continued…

* * *

**A/N2:** Yes, we know. They did a bad, bad thing. And so, right now, Gah-linda and I are on our knees begging you to review. If you love it – review. If you hate it – review. If you hate what happened and want to _scream_ at us – review! Reviews are better than naked Hyde on a … "_Hey! Naked Hyde, come on, baby. Come beg with us!_" Now, you see…naked Hyde is on his knees, begging you to review, too. He is… oh, damn, now he and Gah-linda are totally going at it. Oh, damn! Well, anyway, _I'm_ still here, luvcali76, begging you to review and to PLEASE not abandon us! Thank you. ;) 


	6. Breathe Reprise

**A/N:** Alright, time out on the field. We are going to stop the roller coaster and let some people off. Not in mean way, but because we actually love you. Obviously some of you are not going to be able to handle what's coming up, and we don't want to upset you anymore. We actually feel really bad about it. But here's the thing, like everyone else here, we hated season 8, and we understand how this might begin to feel like it, but it's not. Because, unlike season 8, this will have a great ending. We already know how it ends and so, of course, none of this is bothering us, but we can see how it would bother a lot of you. We tried to tell you that this would be original and different—it totally is—but it's also dark and not for the weak-stomached. And we knew all along that some people would not be able to handle it, and that's ok; some people deal with J and H in different ways, so we honestly think you should probably stop reading—which is a shame because the ending completely fixes everything. This story is about redemption and there will be _sweet_ redemption, for everyone in this story. But we know that a lot of you won't make it to then. For those of you who do, however, there is a great reward waiting. God, we wish so bad we could tell you why they are acting this way, but we can't—that would be ridiculous if we did. We totally know that they seem like "a couple of horny dicks" (to quote one of our reviews), but, we promise, it's nothing like that, this story actually runs very deep. And if you were to search the chapters, we actually dropped clues as to what's really going on—_the rabbit hole goes deeper than it appears._ There are only seven chapters left, so for those of you staying: please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times, we are about to jump the track…

Also: There has also been some discussion over the proper spelling of "Kasey/Casey" and we wanted to clarify our stance on that. While the DVDs are labeled "Casey," the official T7S website is labeled "Kasey." The discrepancy then is one of the Fox network and not us, and we feel free to choose the spelling we prefer. We have decided that the visual alliteration of "Kasey Kelso" is simply a lot more like the slimebag we know and love from the show.

**For those of you who we sickened and are considering leaving: **Seriously, because we don't want to upset you anymore—you obviously don't like this sort of stuff—you probably should stop reading. It really bums us out to lose you but we don't think you will be able to take what's coming. So, here is where we part…thank you so much for reading up until this point. We hope you continue to read our other, individual and much more pleasant, stories. Thanks.

**For the rest**: Thank you for sticking with us. There is an actual point and a moral to this story, so hang on, and keep in mind that Hyde's love for Jackie runs _deep_, deeper than he realizes, as of yet, and it will all end in a way that will blow your mind and make you think. But, in the meantime, it's gonna hurt. Our apologies, please don't hate us, but this HAS to happen...

* * *

**Previously: **

_Jackie watched in horror as the visual of Kasey's orgasm seemed to drain Hyde's anger. The hot tempered man she knew and loved changed before her eyes, his passionate blue eyes dimming to a lifeless gray. His expression hardened, burying his hurt, and he walked away from Eric's room, heading for the basement._

* * *

**Breathe Reprise**

_Forman Residence_

_May 19, 1979 – 11:21 p.m._

Kitty was on her way up the stairs to go to bed, muttering quietly to herself about Red's refusal to help her prepare almond bags for the wedding reception. Her internal rant about where she'd like to shove a few colorful almonds was cut off when she saw Hyde's ashen profile backing away from Eric's door.

"Steven, what's wrong!" She was surprised to receive no answer as he walked away, eventually followed by Jackie. Kitty almost reached for the brunette to ask what was wrong, but then she caught sight of Kasey Kelso, dressed in his slick pants and muscle-hugging t-shirt, and her distraction allowed Jackie to slip by. "Kasey!" she exclaimed, pleased to see him until she remembered the look on Hyde's face. "What happened here?" Kitty paused in thought before she continued. "Did that loud mouthed strumpet hurt my poor little Steven?" Her eyes narrowed protectively at the thought, but Kasey's charming smile quickly made her forget about everything else.

"Hey there, Mrs. F. No, I don't really know what's going on… He just came in while Jackie was offering to give me some extra blankets and yeah, helooked kind of upset about it."

Kitty nodded happily as he spoke, but tried to stop him as he left the room.

"Kasey! You were supposed to stay the night! It's getting awfully late," she reasoned, looking down at her bare wrist as though it held a watch.

"Thanks, Mrs. Foreman, but I should probably be going anyways."

"Oh, no, Kasey, I really can't let you…" Her 'generous' offer was quickly cut off by Red coming up the stairs.

"Sure you can, Kitty. Just let the poor boy go," Red rolled his eyes at his drunk wife.

"Oh, well, Kasey, feel free to drop by any time!" Kitty giggled giddily at him, as he prepared to descend the stairs.

"You know me, Mrs. Foreman. I like to be here when I can." He gave her a wink before he left that sent Kitty swooning back into Red's arms. Rolling his eyes, Red prepared to speak, but Kitty cut him off before he had the chance.

"Don't you dare say anything, Red Foreman, you, you, Jordan almond hater!" With that, Kitty clomped back down stairs to find more wine, leaving him to go to bed alone.

* * *

His lucid mind left behind in Eric Forman's bedroom, Hyde's empty shell of a body carried him past Mrs. Forman, down the stairs into the living room, through the kitchen and down into his own personal hell. His dank bedroom only reminded him that this life offered him nothing but shit, nothing but pain and isolation—and he decided it was finally time to embrace his own fate. Gathering everything he could get his hands on, he began shoving his life's few possessions into a large green duffel bag, leaving behind only those things that reminded him of her. Everywhere he turned, though, there was something—her clothes, her hairbrush, her perfume, her picture…her. 

"Steven," The tiny voice was barely audible as it crept into his embittered brain, "Baby." His throat constricting with every conceivable emotion, Hyde forced a glance in her general direction to reveal her small form leaned face-first against the "High St." wall, looking like a child sent to the corner. "Baby, I don't feel good."

Feeling no mercy, Hyde ignored her; she was drunk and Kasey fucking Kelso's problem now. As he continued to pack, he couldn't help but hear her whimpers and calls for him. His pace quickened; another minute in this place, with her, would literally kill him—if he didn't kill her first.

"Steven, please." He heard her voice drawing nearer to him, her bare feet shuffling slowly along the floor as she spoke in broken whimpers. "Please talk to me. I don't…I don't understand what just happened, baby." At his back, Jackie slipped her hands around his waist, and rested her nearly limp body against him. Disgusted by her touch, Hyde shoved her away and watched her fall back onto his bed. Immediately, his body tensed at the sight of her there. All those warm nights together—over. _Fucking bitch._ He had actually fallen in love with her and she ruined it, ruined _him_, and he hated her for it. Then, Jackie grabbed Fluffy Cakes and began to cry, only making him angrier.

"Steven, please. I'm sorry."

Was she fucking kidding? _Sorry?_ Hyde could feel the rage begin to gather momentum in his chest and it took everything tangible within him not to shove Fluffy Cakes down her throat and shut her up for good. There was a limit to how much he could take, and she had already hurled him over that edge with the visual of Kasey driving his dick into her as she came. _FUCK!_

Hyde gave up packing, abandoning his bag, and stormed out, never looking back. As he crossed the basement, a blood-curdling "_STEVEN!" _came screaming from his room. He instinctively turned around at the urgency in her voice and stood stunned as she came stumbling out and threw herself against him, hugging onto him for dear life. "_Please_ don't leave! I love you. I love you so much. Please!"

Her scared eyes watched his confused expression harden into anger. "Get the _fuck_ off me," he growled as he pushed her away, the hurt seeping through, laced within the resonance of his voice, "fucking b..." He shut his eyes, unable to finish his slur against her. Instead, he completed the last three strides to the back door, only to be quickly cut off by Jackie.

"I need you," she cried out, her body shaking uncontrollably as she choked on the air that entered her lungs, "I need you so much, Steven. _Please_ don't leave me." Hyde stepped around her, unaffected by her pleas, and headed for the basement stairs. "Steven, please!"

She followed him up the stairs, Fluffycakes dangling by her side, never once letting the dizzy spells that wracked her body slow her down. "Baby, I love you," she continued as they crossed through the kitchen and out the slider door, "I don't think I can live without you. God Steven, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I've been being such a bitch to you. I was… God, Steven. I was just scared that you didn't really want me…"

Never once responding, or turning around to acknowledge the blubbering mess of a girl trailing behind him, following him like a puppy, Hyde reached his car. As he pulled his keys out, they caught on the material of his pocket and fell to the ground. Bending down to get them, he was startled by Jackie's hand as it swooped in and captured them. With terrified eyes, she held them behind her back.

"Just listen to me, please," she begged, owning the most pathetic look Hyde had ever seen, "I can't be without y..," a gasp choked her words, sending her into heart-wrenching sobs, "…you. I need you so much, Steven. Please. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." She moved in close to him and hugged his body, bracing herself for the rejection, "You're my life."

Hyde narrowed his eyes, disgusted at the feeling of her. She was a fucking liar. "Give me my keys."

Looking up at him, Jackie shook her head; the two rivers flowing down her cheeks glistened in the glow of the faint streetlamp above their heads, almost making him feel sorry for her. Almost. "Where are you going," she whimpered, "take me with you."

"That's none of your fuckin' business and hell no. Give me…_my keys_." A chill rolled up Jackie's spine at the fury in his voice and the listlessness of his eyes. His love for her was gone and she could practically feel the hate taking its place in his heart.

She shut her eyes, barely able to hold them open anymore. They hurt terribly. And it was at that instant, she felt his hands grip her arms roughly, ripping them from his torso and pushing her back. "Give me my fucking keys, Jackie!"

"No," Jackie said, flinching as Hyde moved toward her quickly.

He grimaced. "God, Jackie. I'm not gonna fucking hit you. Just give me my keys or I'm gonna have to take them from you."

"Just tell me where you're going and I'll give them to you."

Temporarily stunned by her question, Hyde stared past her, thinking. Where _was_ he going? His destination had never occurred to him; he had just wanted the hell away from her, but if he had to make a choice, "Vegas."

He looked down to watch pure fear and confusion sweep over her face. "What? Steven. Why?" Breaking down into more tears, she hugged onto him and tightened her grip, desperate to keep him. "Oh my god, Steven, no. _Please_ don't go."

"I'm going, now give me my keys or I swear to god, Jackie…"

"Why? Steven, why do you want to leave me? I didn't leave you!"

Hyde jaw tightened. "_Why? _Are you fucking kidding me?" The cruelty that lived inside him made him grip her hair and pull her head towards his mouth as he whispered gruffly in her ear. "Because I am going to make it my personal mission to _fuck_ every whore I see that is _nothing_ like you. And it's gonna be _so_ good, Jackie." He let go of his grip on her head and felt her body go limp, allowing him to grab his keys out of her wilted hand. When he stepped away from her, the vacancy in her stare told him that she was starting to feel the same pain he was, and that left him more than satisfied.

Although weakened by heartbreak, Jackie still didn't give up, whimpering out her words one at a time and struggling for each breath. "I'll do anything, baby. You can sleep with who...whoever you wa…want, just," she shut her eyes and swallowed hard, trying to control her sobs, "don't leave me." She noticed that he hadn't yet moved and her eyes found his as she tried to focus on him through her tears. "I made a mistake, Steven. I'm not even sure what happened. But I was so scared that you didn't love me." Her eyes fell to the floor, releasing the several teardrops that had been pooling above her lower lids. "I love you so much."

Everything was quiet, with only her words echoing through the darkened street, until Hyde leaned forward and quietly choked out his response. "Yeah, well I don't love you."

Jackie clenched her eyes shut, temporarily stunned by the pain, his spiteful words tearing her heart in half. She had suspected as much. The only time he had ever said it was when he cheated on her, and it was only out of desperation to keep her around. Suddenly, Jackie had a desperate idea of her own. Taking advantage of the fact that he still hadn't gotten into his car, she found his eyes again. They were blankly staring at something beyond her, making him look as dead as she felt. "You can get even with me."

"What?"

"Make it even. Go sleep with whoever you want…just promise me that you'll come…_back to me_," she bawled, "_Then_ _we'll be…even_."

"No, we won't," Hyde looked intently into her eyes as he spewed out all his pain. "To be even, you would have to watch me fuck her, watch me cum inside her while I screamed out her fucking name. How would you like that, Jackie. Huh?" His voice was wavering and Jackie cried for him—for what he had to witness—as he took in a deep, shaky breath. "We'll never be even." Anger rose up inside him as flashes of disturbing images tortured his failing mind. Her and Kasey—fucking. Her orgasm as she screamed out his name. Him cumming inside of her. The pain was almost unbearable as each image brought him closer to spiritual death. Hyde stared at her for a moment, and was surprised at how much the sight of her now made his skin crawl; he wanted to do nothing but break her, like she had broken him. Grabbing her hand forcefully, Hyde walked her around the car and sat her in the passenger seat, kneeling down before he shut the door.

"You're gonna see what I see, Jackie."

"What?"

Hyde gave her a menacing smile and slammed the door shut before getting in himself and heading back to Chubby's.

* * *

_Chubby's Strip Club – 11:46 p.m._

Hyde pulled up in front of Chubby's, got out, and rounded the car to pull Jackie along behind him as he headed inside. He didn't look at her or touch her except to make sure she was there and to catch her as she stumbled over the doorstep of the strip club.

Walking out of the front door of Chubby's at that moment was Candie, the blonde stripper who had come on to him two hours ago.

"It's the hottie!" Candie exclaimed, smiling flirtatiously at Hyde. "Did you change your mind about that fiancé?" she asked the question with a wink, and was surprised when Hyde pointed behind him to Jackie's shaking form. Hyde glared at her briefly, hoping that she felt like the bitch she was, before speaking.

"She's gonna watch." Hyde's angry, humorless tone clued Candie in to the fact that there was something more here than a kinky girl letting her man have a good time. Eyeing Jackie's tear-stained face, she wondered what the smaller girl had done, but she found it didn't really matter to her. She'd wanted Hyde the moment she'd seen his scruffy sideburns, and she sure as hell wasn't going to pass up the chance to have him.

"I know a good place," Candie winked at him, heading towards her car and indicating that he should follow.

* * *

_Forman residence_

_May 20, 1979 - Midnight_

"Have you seen Eric, Mrs. Foreman?" Donna asked as she stepped inside the Foreman's kitchen door.

Kitty was sitting at the table working through another bottle of wine as she fantasized about being on a deserted island with Kasey; the question caught her off guard.

"Kasey wasn't here!" Shaking her head to clear it of some of the daydreams and alcohol, Kitty looked up at Donna. "I mean, ummm, I'm not sure, honey." Taking a large sip of wine, she continued. "With all the excitement around here tonight, it's been a little hard to keep track of everything."

"I'm sure it has," Donna nodded her head courteously while trying to process the knowledge that Kasey may have been there. "So then, who else _wasn't_ here, Mrs. Forman?"

"Jackie? Oh, no…haven't seen Jackie, or Steven." She shook her head bursting into giggles. Her expression turned serious as she looked at Donna. "You're getting married soon, Donna, so I can give you some advice." Nodding her head mater-of-factly, she continued. "Marriage isn't always pretty, you see. There are ups and downs and fights and make-ups and younger men who sleep in your children's bedrooms." She paused for another long sip of wine. "But what you have to remember, even when your husband won't bag Jordan almonds for your only son's wedding, is that he is the most important person in your life. So what if you'll never be with Kasey Kelso?" She said Kasey's name bitterly, but bubbled over with nervous laughter before continuing. "What was I saying?"

Shaking her head at the wackiness of her soon-to-be mother-in-law, Donna left her to search around the Foreman house—namely in Eric's room and the basement—for her fiancé, but she didn't find him anywhere. Strangely, she couldn't find _anybody_ in the normally lively home. Slightly confused and a little worried, Donna walked back to her house to look for Jackie. The moment she walked into her bedroom, she groaned at the sight of tiny bunny turds on her desk. It would be just like Jackie to leave a freakin' loose rabbit in her bedroom. Irritated with her friend, Donna flipped on the radio, pleased with the Pink Floyd block she heard.

_All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.  
All in all you were all just bricks in the wall._

Looking around, Donna finally noticed Jackie's perfectly made cot. No way had the midget been in her bed tonight, Donna thought to herself as she plopped down onto her own cushiony bed.

"Where the hell _is_ everybody?"

Donna grabbed her phone and dialed Chubby's only to have the bartender tell her that the twitchy, skinny boy and his angry, curly-haired friend had left over an hour before. So where in the hell were they? And now, Jackie was missing, presumably still with Laurie. Donna let out a sigh of frustration as her wandering eye found the ball of white fluff responsible for the crap pebbles on her desk. "You," she said as she lifted the furball onto her lap, careful not to push too hard against her swollen, pregnant belly, "You crapped on my desk! But I'll forgive you cause you're pregnant, as long as you wait until you get back to Hyde's room to have your babies, cause…ew." Laying back and placing Miss Z on her chest, Donna rubbed at the soft fur while she sifted through her wedding jitters, unaware of the sordid predicaments that the people she loved most had gotten themselves into on the eve of her wedding rehearsal.

* * *

_Chubby's Strip Club - Midnight_

Kelso and Fez stumbled out of Chubby's into the dimly lit parking lot. Glancing around at the parked cars in horror, Kelso turned to Fez.

"Dude! Where's my car?"

The foreign boy was about to speak when a thirty year old man dressed in tight leather pants and an open leather vest strutted over to them.

"You boys in need of a good ride?" He asked, winking at them flirtatiously and gesturing towards a car where another man sat in the passenger seat. Fez felt slightly nervous at the offer, but Kelso was nothing but enthusiastic.

"Hell yeah, we are!" he jumped over to high five Fez, but was instead pulled behind a corner for private consultation. "Man, did we luck out or what! Now, we don't have to walk home!"

"I do not think we should go with him. He acts…strange. Why does he keep winking at me?" They both glanced over to the leather clad man, watching him flirt from afar.

"Come on, Fez. He's just being friendly!" Kelso turned back around and winked back. "They look like cool guys. I bet they know lots of hot chicks," he said, smiling broadly at the idea of hot girls dressed in leather pants.

"Ohh, do you think one of them would do it with Fez?" All thoughts of why it might be a bad idea to follow the men evaporated at the thought of hot girls.

"Sure, man. Anything's possible." With Fez following behind him, Kelso climbed into the men's car. The first man, who introduced himself as Gary, turned on the radio as he began to drive, filling the car with the sounds of The Wall. "..and this is my friend, Ace."

Ace grinned at Fez. "Hey there, brown sugar."

Fez smiled. "Hey there yourself, amigo!"

_All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.  
All in all you were all just bricks in the wall._

"All right! Floyd!" Kelso yelled, sticking his head out the window and enjoying the rush of wind past his face.

"Is there anywhere you'd prefer to go?" The second man asked them.

"Just take us wherever the party is!" Kelso and Fez bounced in their seats, excited about the night to come.

* * *

_Outskirts of Chicago, Illinois – Midnight_

Eric slowed his car for the first time since peeling out of Chubby's, determined to put as much space between himself and Point Place as possible by the time the sun came up. Pink Floyd was blaring from his stereo as he drove helping to numb the effects of running away from his fiancé.

_I have seen the writing on the wall.  
Don't think I need anything at all.  
No! Don't think I'll need anything at all._

He had a choice to make: I-80W towards Vegas or I-80E towards a Star Wars convention in Detroit. _  
_

It was all because of that stupid trailer, he thought to himself. Some part of him knew that even if Donna hadn't purchased the trailer, they would have found themselves married but living just like high school students…in their parents' houses. Surely that wasn't an acceptable option, either.

They weren't ready to get married. The truth had smacked him in the face tonight, and he had quietly packed a bag before leaving for the strip club.

In the end, he knew he had to leave. In the end, he knew she would never forgive him.

_All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.  
All in all you were all just bricks in the wall._

He made his choice, racing along I-80 into the night.

* * *

_The Mirage Motel – Midnight_

Hyde opened the door to the cheap motel room, allowing Candie and then Jackie to walk into the room in front of him. Jackie, still holding Fluffycakes and dazed from the events of the night, walked immediately to a small desk chair and sat down as Hyde and Candie watched each other somewhat nervously at the foot of the bed.

"I'm gonna freshen up," Candie offered, stepping into the bathroom and out of the tension filled bedroom. When the door closed, Jackie began to speak.

"Steven, do you honestly think it's alright to have sex with a stripper right in front of me?" She asked quietly, holding back tears and praying that Hyde would change his mind and send the blonde whore out the door.

"Yeah, Jackie. Yes. I think it's _fuckin'_ alright." He stared at her hard, letting her see his righteous anger. "You made it alright when I found you with that Kelso." His defiance in the face of her sadness made her cringe, and she realized with horror that he just wanted to hurt her.

"P-please, Steven, don't do this." She whispered, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared at the changed visage of her fiancé. She had somehow thought that this would play out like it had for her and Michael, but Hyde was clearly serious. "I ch-changed my mind; I don't want you to do this." Her pitiful face, makeup ruined from sobbing all night, failed to move him.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you fucked that asshole," he growled at her. "You accused me of treating you like a fucking whore, and as it turns out…you _are_ a fucking whore. I bet you've done it before. You've probably been sleeping around on me all through our relationship. I bet you've gone through _all_ the fucking Kelso's, haven't you?" Hyde shook his head in disgust as tears streamed down Jackie's face.

"No. No, Steven, I never…" Pausing to pull in a shuddering breath, Jackie continued. "I never did anything like that." She took in another deep breath as she continued, "You're the one that ch-cheated on me!" The last word was a long wail, and she burst into sobs again as Hyde stared at her, fury rising in his chest.

"Don't even compare what I did to what you did! I freaked out when I saw something suspicious…you just fucked that asshole for no fucking reason and I had to fucking watch! I had to hear you scream his name! I had to watch him come inside of you!" Sinking down on the edge of the bed, Hyde let his head rest in his hands. The image of Jackie and Kasey together pushed his hot fury away, replacing it with a coldly overwhelming need to hurt Jackie every bit as much as she hurt him. He wanted to make her die inside, just like she had made him die. "And now _you_ are going to watch _me_ fuck _her_."

When Candie stepped out of the bathroom in a skimpy negligee, she looked back and forth between Hyde and Jackie, afraid to interrupt their intense stare. From the portions of their conversation she had heard through the bathroom door, she understood that Jackie had cheated on Hyde: the hot, scruffy guy who had refused to fuck her on account of his fiancé. Finding herself irrationally angry that his fiancé could treat him so badly, Candie sat next to Hyde, letting her fingers brush down his chest and pulling his attention towards her scantily clad figure. When her eyes met Hyde's, Candie was shocked to see the depth of his anger and betrayal, and she felt more pissed at the little sniveling bitch in the corner. Feeling intensely attracted to Hyde and badly wanting to make him feel better, she captured his lips with her own, never noticing that he kept looking at Jackie, triumphant in the face of her obvious pain.

It wasn't until Jackie turned away that Hyde stopped focusing on her pain and began to pay any real attention to Candie. She wasn't bad looking, he thought, bigger than Jackie, with breasts bigger than Jackie's. He let his hands wander to those larger breasts, appreciating their weight and fullness even as he tried to ignore the taste of stale tobacco in the blonde's mouth. She didn't kiss like Jackie, didn't feel like Jackie, didn't remind him of Jackie… And that relieved him immensely as he lay back on the bed with Candie, beginning to strip off their respective clothes.

Jackie turned her face and her thoughts away from the scene in front of her, curling into her chair and remembering the happy times she had spent with Hyde: the summer before her junior year, alone together in the empty basement; the day he shaved his beard to cheer her up; the night after the Valentines dance; the day they really reconnected after his indiscretion with the nurse. She remembered that one well.

_Jackie and Hyde sat on Donna's bed, legs wrapped around each other and mouths fused together. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and the sensation of his hands in her hair and on her body was heaven. Unable to help herself, Jackie pulled back with her hands linked around his neck, smiling when he gripped her hips, keeping them intimately pressed together. _

"_Steven, I'm so glad we're back together. I thought I lost my little puddin' pop forever." _

"_You wanna know something sick? I actually missed you calling me puddin' pop." Jackie melted at the tenderness radiating from his uncovered eyes and pulled his mouth back down to hers as Hyde buried his fingers in her hair, bringing her even closer. They were interrupted too quickly, though, as Donna and Eric stepped into the bedroom._

"_How many times have I told you guys not to make out on my bed? You guys are like cats, you don't even listen!" Grabbing a water bottle, Donna sprayed them as they ran for cover._

"_Donna!" Jackie screeched, leaping up from the bed. "You know what? You're leaving tonight, so, technically, this isn't your bed anymore. And besides," she glanced up at Hyde, "I just can't keep my hands off my Puddin'Ppop." Turning to her boyfriend, Jackie trailed her fingers down his chest, earning her a small smile before they touched lips again._

"_Puddin' pop?" Eric and Donna asked together, their voices radiating disbelief. _

"_It that s'posed to be me? I've never heard that name before in my life!" Grabbing Jackie's hand, Hyde pulled her quickly out of the Pinciotti's house and down into his room in the basement. Closing the door behind them, Hyde pulled Jackie to him, crushing his lips to hers. Their tongues met passionately as he backed her up against the door, and all she could think was that Steven was trying to pull her into him. Jackie broke the kiss, gasping for air, but Hyde's lips just moved down her jaw to her neck, kissing and biting and making her knees weak. _

"_Steven," she whispered, her serious tone causing him to stop. "When I told you that I didn't love you, I was lying, you know?" He just smiled at her slightly before capturing her lips again and trailing teasing touches over her body. Soon, she was writhing against the door as Hyde quickly pulled her shirt over her head, allowing him to feast on newly exposed flesh. He made quick work of her bra while his lips were engaged with her collar bone, and when his mouth finally closed over one of her bare nipples, Jackie cried out her pleasure. _

"_Mmm," he moaned against her naked skin, "you taste so good, Kitten." He smiled as a shudder ran through her body; if Hyde's nickname made him smile, Jackie's nickname drove her crazy with lust. Desperate to feel his bare chest against hers, Jackie began to pull at Hyde's t-shirt, but was quickly stopped. "No," he groaned, his lips unwillingly leaving her skin. "I want…" Hyde trailed off, but pulled her away from the door, taking just enough time to strip off her jeans and panties before he pushed her onto his bed. _

_Jackie crossed her legs and covered herself modestly as Hyde, fully dressed, stared down at her nude body. _

"_You're so beautiful, Jackie," he whispered before covering her body with his own and trailing kisses down her neck and shoulders again. Jackie sighed in pleasure as he tasted every inch of her skin; he seemed to radiate his feelings to her as he moved. She could feel that he loved her in his touch, and it almost didn't matter that he couldn't say it out loud. As Hyde's wandering mouth finally moved up her inner thigh to lazily lick the area between her legs, Jackie arched her back and forgot about everything other than Hyde's lips moving over her._

_His tongue darted out to lick her slit before circling her clit quickly, causing her hips to thrust up towards him. Hyde smiled at her enthusiastic response as he grabbed hold of her thighs, pinning her down and opening her up for further exploration. Tireless in his efforts, Hyde continued working his tongue as one hand left her leg to delve into her tight core. He found her wet and ready as first one and then two questing fingers dipped inside of her, massaging her inner walls and causing her to writhe uncontrollably beneath him. As his fingertips danced over her G-spot, Jackie screamed his name and clamped her thighs around his head as she came. It was several moments before Hyde crawled back up her body to delve his tongue into her eager mouth. _

"_God, Jackie, I want you so much," Hyde panted against her lips. Jackie just moaned and wrapped her legs around him._

"_Please, Steven," she gasped between kisses as her hands worked to pull his black t-shirt over his head. Hyde happily obliged, kicking off the rest of his clothes in record time and bringing all of their exposed flesh into contact. "I missed you," Jackie whispered quietly as Hyde prepared to thrust into her wet heat._

"_I missed you, too, Jackie," he replied quietly, "so much." Hyde kissed her gently on the lips as he continued. "I'm so sorry, Kitten," he looked deeply in her eyes. "I never want anyone else like this." With that admission, the closest thing Jackie would ever get to a declaration of love, Hyde drove himself into her core, causing them both to moan out loud.  
_

_Their lips met passionately and Jackie wrapped her legs around him as they moved together in what she would always think of as the first time they really "made love." His movements were slow and languid as they readjusted to each other after long months apart, but they quickly gained speed and intensity as Jackie's orgasm grew near. _

"_Oh God, Steven," Jackie moaned into his mouth, "Harder." He complied, and within seconds, Jackie was thrashing underneath him, calling out his name. Hyde drew out her orgasm to unimaginable lengths, wrapping her in pleasure she had never known until he came inside of her, spent. _

She and Steven had lain together afterwards; Jackie hadn't been able to help the tears that streamed from her eyes, content and sure of Steven's love for her in a time when the man she loved and not their impending wedding was the most important thing in her life. What the hell was wrong with her that she had forgotten to love him?

"Get on your knees," Hyde's voice was low and demanding as it cut into Jackie's thoughts. He couldn't help looking up at her as Candie sank down between his legs, taking his dick in her mouth. Jackie was still curled around Fluffycakes in her chair, lost in her thoughts, but he could see the tears coursing down her cheeks even with her head turned away. The desire he had felt to hurt her dissipated, and instead the sight of her sadness tore through him. His head screamed that he had to hurt her like she hurt him, but his heart only wanted to hold her. Allowing one to win out over the other, Hyde shut his eyes and tried to focus on the warm mouth massaging his dick. So, as was the usual for Steven Hyde—his heart lost.

And then…it broke. "I love you, Steven." From the other side of the room, her tiny voice ripped through his body like shrapnel, violently shattering into a million pieces upon impact and settling against every one of his nerve endings. He believed her, but it was only the stripper with her lips wrapped around his shaft that realized it. The pain that was plastered all over his face had easily given him away; the sorrow in the small brunette's tearful voice obviously mattered more than he had originally let on. "I love you so much." Hyde squeezed his eyes shut in a failed attempt to block her out, never noticing that Candie had already abandoned his diminishing erection. His head fell forward as she continued. "I think I would die without you, baby." A moment later, Hyde heard a rustle in front of him and opened his eyes to find Candie pulling a long t-shirt over her head.

"I can't do this with her crying and saying that shit." She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're sweet, and you deserve much better."

Hyde reached down to his ankles and pulled up his jeans, never saying a word as the blond grabbed her bag and moved toward the door. Ultimately intrigued, and a little irritated, with the night's events, she stopped cold in front of Jackie. "You know, if you love him so much, you probably shouldn't have fucked his best friend."

Jackie raised her red, puffy eyes to meet Candie's. "Yeah well, I don't take advice from whores."

"Funny, I only give mine out to them," the blond snidely retorted before walking out, leaving the strained couple alone.

"Why the fuck did you do that, Jackie?" Hyde nearly screamed as he stormed across the room to her chair. "Why?"

"Because," Jackie cautiously started, keeping her head low as she rubbed Fluffycakes' soft fur along her cheek, "I didn't want that whore touching you anymore."

"It was your idea!"

Jackie looked up, her eyes wild with hidden fury as the tears rolled freely down her face. "I know! But I just couldn't watch it anymore, okay! Why did you have to like it so much?"

Stunned, Hyde stepped back. "_Me?_ Why did _I_ have to like it?"

"Yes! Why would you want some dirty stripper when you could have _me!"_

"Because, Jackie! Being with a dirty stripper is more appealing to me right now than being with you, okay!" He paused as Jackie burst into hysterical sobs and raised his voice, maliciously feeding off her pained cries, "Cause at least I won't care when I find her getting fucked by my friend!"

Hyde stopped yelling and stood by as Jackie wept, his love for her being slowly replaced by rage and hate with every burst of sound that left her mouth. It scared him how little mercy he felt for her; he wanted nothing more than to watch her shatter in front of him.

"I love you, Steven," Jackie whimpered, unaware that her determination was having the opposite of its intended effect—it was pissing him off more.

"_No, you don't!"_

Her mind clearing temporarily, driven by those good memories of him, Jackie gathered a sliver of strength—just enough to lift her body off her chair and face him. "Yes, I do. I love you so much that I would sit in a motel room and watch a stripper give you head, you fucking asshole."

They stared at each other a moment before Hyde spoke in a low growl. "You love yourself, Jackie. You're a selfish _bitch_ and I'm glad you did what you did. Cause now…I have a reason to get the fuck out of marrying you."

Her burst of energy spent and wasted, Jackie's head fell. The room was spinning, her mind was foggy and this nightmare night had drained her of life. "I love you," she whispered stubbornly, mostly for herself, knowing full well that he didn't care anymore.

"Quit saying that. If you loved me, you wouldn't have fucked somebody else. It's that simple."

Jackie's head snapped up. "You slept with that nurse, and then claimed you loved me the next day. Explain that to me, Steven."

"I don't have to explain anything to you. You're a whore." She watched his expression change as a thought occurred to him. "Did you like it, Jackie? Hm? Was it good? Did you like getting fucked by Kasey?"

"Why don't you tell me, Steven? Was your little skank nurse good? Did _you_ like it? Cause I may not have seen you sleep with her, but I'll bet what lives in my imagination is a lot worse than what you saw."

A wicked smirk stared back at her and Jackie suddenly regretted opening her mouth. She could never match his cruelty and _knew_ that he was about to crush her with it. "You realty wanna know, Jackie?" Already far lost in his hatred, Hyde stepped toward her, wearing his vicious nature plainly on his face as he stopped an inch from her lips. "I came so hard that I fucked her twice." He brushed his lips against hers. "It was _so_ good, baby."

Jackie's tears stopped, knowing that this wasn't her Steven anymore; this was the monster that protected him. She shook her head sadly, deciding that the time had come to admit defeat. Pulling off her engagement ring, Jackie flung it at him, not caring where it landed in the room. Picking up Fluffycakes from her chair, she turned back to Hyde once more before walking out the motel room door. "You sure you wanna know, Steven? Cause I have an answer for you now."

Hyde swallowed hard. "I wanna know," he said though gritted teeth, "tell me."

"He made me come _so_ hard, Steven; he fucked me better than you ever did." Her anger and hurt masked the lie as she hurled it at him, but she instantly regretted it as his anger melted and was replaced with the cold, inhuman stare she had seen earlier that night in Eric's bedroom. In that instant, Jackie was deeply afraid of Steven Hyde, and the fear grew as he grabbed Fluffycakes from her hands, shoving her forcefully against the wall.

"_NO STEVEN!"_ she screamed, the sound muffled as Hyde crushed the stuffed unicorn over her mouth.

To Be Continued.

* * *

**A/N2:** (ducks) We know! Everything has gone to shit, nothing makes sense, and you hate it, and us. We totally know! Go ahead and scream at us. We still want your reviews. So please, please send them. It honestly takes thirty seconds and they mean a lot to us, even the ones that tell us how terrible we are. Reviews, even bad ones, are better than naked Hyde NOT getting head from a dirty stripper. :P (ducks) Hey, believe it or not, this story actually has a very happy ending. 


	7. The Great Gig in the Sky

**A/N:** There is no way for us to express how awesome you guys are. Those of you still with us have some serious brass balls and you guys rock. That last chapter was rough, and, alas, this one is going to be even rougher on your sweet zennie hearts. Unfortunately, we know that we will be parting ways with a few more of you after this chapter. You're probably saying, "No, not me." But yes, some of you will be pissed—royally pissed—after this chapter and more of you will decide not to come back. But we totally understand and thank you for reading up until this point. Your reviews have been great. For those of you who remain with us—thank you by the way—please remember that there _will_ be a happy ending. But for right now, this coaster is at full speed and is approaching the first loop-de-loop…

* * *

_**Previously:**_

"_He made me come so hard, Steven; he fucked me better than you ever did." Her anger and hurt masked the lie as she hurled it at him, but she instantly regretted it as his anger melted and was replaced with the cold, inhuman stare she had seen earlier that night in Eric's bedroom. In that instant, Jackie was deeply afraid of Steven Hyde, and the fear grew as he grabbed Fluffycakes from her hands, shoving her forcefully against the wall._

"_NO STEVEN!" she screamed, the sound muffled as Hyde crushed the stuffed unicorn over her mouth._

* * *

**The Great Gig in the Sky**

Jackie looked into Hyde's eyes; they seemed cold as they stared back, but the rest of his body was hot, flushed from something: anger, lust…love, she hoped. He was close, she was pinned, and Jackie suddenly thanked God for this door and began to cry. "God, Steven, I'm so sorry, baby. I…You have to know that I didn't mean to hurt you." Hyde remained silent, his eyes dancing between hers as he leaned in just a hair while Jackie continued. "I just…it was a slip and I would…I would die if I lost you because of it." She raised her hands cautiously to smooth over his cheeks; they felt as hot as they looked, and her lips quivered with worry. "Steven, I love you. Please say something."

"I'm not mad at you," he whispered, "I just don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Jackie nodded. "Okay," she whispered back, suddenly noticing the pain in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, baby." Hyde's head fell against her shoulder and Jackie held him, soothed him, twirling and spreading her fingers through his hair, just how he liked it.

"Jackie?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"We're gonna be late for the Valentine's dance," Hyde said, lifting his head.

Jackie smiled, kissed his cheek and lightly pushed him away. "Okay, Michael. I'll go get ready."

Hyde quickly backed away from her. "What the fuck?"

"What?" Jackie asked, giving him a strange look. "Michael, what's the matter?"

"You fucking bitch." Hyde backed away further.

"_Michael?"_

"_STOP CALLING ME THAT!"_

"Hyde? Hyde? Wake up!"

Opening his eyes and letting in the painful glare of the crappy basement lighting, Hyde noticed Donna staring down at him. "Hyde, you were having a nightmare."

"No, I wasn't," he grumbled, sitting up on the couch. "I was awake."

"Yeah, right. You know, I don't know how you can sleep at a time like this!" Donna began to pace in front of him. "I mean, that dillhole left me at the freakin' alter! Or the rehearsal...You know what I mean!"

"Donna, relax. I'm sure he's just passed out drunk somewhere. He'll turn up."

"Yeah, and when he does, I'm gonna kill him! And that midget fiancé of yours! Where the hell is she anyway? How could she miss my rehearsal? God! She's my maid of freakin' honor! You know, if she was gonna sleep here last night, she could have told me! She better not be at that freakin' mall. I'll kill her!"

Kelso stood by the fridge, his orange popsicle lazily resting on his shocked lips as Donna suddenly lost it and spewed every vulgarity in the book toward her fiancé and her best friend. "Jeez, Donna."

"I think it's sexy," Fez argued from his perch on the dryer.

"…I'm gonna find her and grab her by her fucking hair and beat the hell out of her!..."

"Damn Fez, you're right," Kelso laughed.

Donna stopped cold in front of Hyde, perturbed at his rather casual attitude at the fact that his fiancé and best friend were gone, vanished, with no explanation. "Hyde, where is Jackie?"

"I already told you…I don't know!" Donna glared at him briefly before sinking onto the couch, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Where were you two morons last night, anyways?" Hyde asked Kelso and Fez who were now seated together on she washer and dryer.

"Oh, it was fabulous," Fez began, clasping his hands together in excitement. "We went to a party with lots of nice men, and there was good beer and disco music and everyone was wearing leather." He sighed happily, "I danced all night!"

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure they invited us because they could tell we knew a lot of chicks. They didn't have any, man!" Laughing, he settled back on the washer. "The beer was good, but it was all rabbit food. You wouldn't believe how many times people offered to toss my salad."

"Oh, I am going to buy some leather pants!" Fez clapped his hands with glee. "Gary said that they would make my ass look like an oil painting."

Hyde was laughing to himself on the couch, but Donna was clearly too upset with the events of the day to pay attention to her friends.

"Would you two shut up already?" Staring down at her hands with worry, Donna looked to Hyde. "What if Eric and Jackie are in trouble?" Her face grew angry as she thought. "They better be in trouble or I'm gonna fucking kill them both!"

Kelso's ears perked up at the idea that someone was in trouble. "Don't you worry, Big D." He jumped off his seat on the washing machine. "Point Place's newest, _finest_ detective is on the case!" Kelso stomped out the door, not noticing Donna's call from behind him.

"Kelso what are you going to do at seven o'clock at night?" Sighing and settling back into the couch, she watched as Fez crept out the door, presumably to exhaust himself with candy and porn. Turning to Hyde, Donna started to fume again. "God, your stupid fiancé left that fucking rabbit in my room, you know. It crapped everywhere, and now I'm gonna have to go clean up some more! That's just like that little wedding-rehearsal-ditching twig!"

"I'll come pick Miss Z up, Donna," Hyde offered, and was about to follow her out of the basement when the phone rang. Shrugging his shoulders, Hyde lifted the receiver. "Hello?…uh huh…yeah, we kinda figured…no, she's right here, man, do you wanna…ok…wait a what?...uh huh…bye."

Donna looked to him expectantly. "Well…?"

"Wrong number." Donna frowned at him, and Hyde's face softened. "He's gone. He says he's sorry…"

"He's _sorry?_ He said he's fucking SORRY for abandoning me the day before our wedding? Where the hell is that twitchy little bastard anyways?"

"Uh, a Star Wars convention in Detroit." Donna glared at him as tears welled in her eyes.

"What am I gonna do, Hyde?" she asked, hugging him tightly as she sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay Donna… Let's just, uhh, get you home, ok?" Slowly he stood up with her and led her out of the basement.

* * *

8:04 (One hour later)

Eric sighed happily as he put his belt on and smiled widely at the short, curvy blonde girl in front of him.

"So what do I owe you?" he asked, reaching for his wallet while shooting her a charming smile.

"Twenty for just that…" Pausing, she turned around to retrieve an object from the ground. "Only another thirty if you want to have this baby in there." Eric stared at the item in awe.

"Is that a…" He gasped when, with a flick of her wrist and a flip of a switch, she held a bright green object under his nose.

"Light saber," she answered, turning it off.

"Oh man, that'll look great in my new utility belt. Only thirty more?" He handed her fifty dollars, secured his new belt and light saber over his loose Luke Skywalker costume, and was about to turn away from her booth at the Star Wars convention when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"It's free to take a private tour of the Millenium Falcon, though," she winked at him, gesturing back towards the giant model in the middle of the convention floor. Eric's grin faded slightly as he thought of the wedding he had missed today…wasn't he really a single now man anyways? And the blonde girl, dressed alluringly as Princess Leia with her golden hair wound into buns, was awfully tempting. And being alone with her on the _Milennium Falcon_ of all places was ten times more tempting. Swallowing his guilt, he shook her hand in an awkward greeting.

"Luke," he offered, wondering why he wouldn't want to give his real name. The girl seemed excited by it, though, as she introduced herself as Leia and stood to pull him towards a hidden entrance in the ship. His mind wandered as he walked, thinking mostly of Donna even while another girl grasped his hand. It took a moment for him to register that she was talking to him while playing with the light saber dangling from his belt.

"…the red version, too, at the store I work at." She smiled up at him, clearly charmed by the boy dressed as Luke Skywalker, and pulled him inside a dark room, locking the door behind them. Eric looked around in awe at the blinking lights on the false façade of the ship's controls. His face lit up with childlike glee, he ran to the captain's chair and sat down, nearly bouncing in his excitement. How many fantasies had he had about doing it in this very room…although it was usually with Donna.

'Leia' interrupted his thought by stepping in front of him and dropping her robes, and after giving him a moment to appreciate her nude body, she straddled his lap.

"Oh God, uhh," he struggled for her name, unsure of what to call her.

"Leia," she whispered in his ear, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest as she nuzzled his neck. "Luke," she looked him in the eye as she rolled her hips over his, "kiss me." With that, her lips closed over his, thrusting her tongue into his mouth as her hands slid into his loose white top. Eric let his hands slide up her torso to cup her breasts, groaning at the way her nipples hardened in his hands.

* * *

Pinciotti House

Saturday, May 20, 1979-8:12 pm

Hyde and Donna were alone next to each other on her bed, where they'd been sitting for nearly an hour, alternating between periods of contemplative silence and periods of meaningless conversation. The smoldering roach of their last joint released a stream of smoke towards the ceiling, an empty bottle of cheap whiskey was discarded on the floor, and Hyde was nursing a beer. He stared over at Jackie's perfectly made cot—where Miss Z was currently sitting, staring back at him—while Donna looked past the second bed out the window to her former fiancé's room.

"So, they both left." Donna said quietly. Hyde just nodded slowly, clearly lost in his own thoughts. "Do you think they…" Donna trailed off, blinking back tears. "Do you think they left together?"

"What, Foreman and Jackie?" he asked as though it were absurd. The thought nearly made him laugh.

"Well, he was looking at her…and…you know." Donna shuddered in disgust.

"And that means he would, what, elope with her?" Hyde shook his head, turning away from Jackie's cot to face Donna. "Come on, Donna. You have to accept that Foreman took off because he knew you weren't ready to get married. Hell, _I'm_ more ready to get married than he was—Kitty and Red have been keeping a savings account for me, so at least I would have had some money to support me and Jackie. What does Foreman have, Donna? GI Joes and Spiderman sheets? He didn't want you to settle for him and then regret it. It was done with good intentions, and if I know Foreman, he's probably sitting on a motel bed crying like a little girl and feeling crappy about everything."

"It's just hard, you know?" she cried, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Her gaze fell to the shiny silver toaster on her desk, the one that they had bought together when they were just happy high school students, preparing to go to college. The one Eric had thrown the day of his birthday. "Everything reminds me of him," she whispered, holding back her tears and turning to look at Hyde.

"It'll be okay, Donna." He tried to soothe her, but offering comfort had never been his strong point…Jackie was the only person he had ever been able to open up to that way.

"How's it going to be okay when my fiancé went to a Star Wars convention instead of our wedding?" Hyde vaguely shrugged his shoulders, and Donna collapsed backwards on the bed, seeming to become interested in an object next to him. "So you really haven't seen Jackie since before the party?" she asked suspiciously, rolling so that her body almost curled into his lap. When Hyde shook his head in the negative, Donna raised her hand towards his face, holding a small diamond ring that had been on Jackie's hand less than twenty four hours ago. "You're lying. You _have_ seen her since the bachelorette party!" She jumped up from the bed, stumbling as she turned to face him while preparing to be angry until Hyde laid his face in his hands.

"We're finished, okay, I found her with someone else. We split up…she left town. It was…bad," he mumbled, staring at the floor. Donna's anger was immediately quelled by this explanation; Hyde had been abandoned, too.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Donna slurred the question, knowing the answer before the words came out of her mouth, but wanting to offer the comfort to her heartbroken friend all the same. A brief glare was all the answer she got, so staggered back to the bed, plopped down next to him and began to rub his back, offering her consolation. Neither was sure when the simple act of comfort became more, but soon Donna was scratching her fingernails over his back before sliding them up his neck, twirling and spreading her fingers through his hair, just how he liked it.

"Donna," he choked out, "I should really go." But before he could stand up, Donna grabbed his hand and pulled him down next to her. Burying her face in his neck, she laid gentle kisses there, feeling him relax beneath her as she straddled his lap.

"Do you think it's alright, Hyde, to do this?" Donna asked, grinding her clothed sex over him even as she seemed to be questioning it.

"I don't know, Donna," he groaned, finding it difficult to think coherently about anything while she moved on top of him.

"Please," she groaned against his neck, frantic in her need of release. "I need this," she groaned in his ear. Leaning forward, Donna captured his lips, sliding her tongue into his mouth as she ground against him. "It feels like you need this, too." As she met his eyes, he could read her desperation, and he let himself kiss back. The mingled taste of lingering smoke and burning liquor filled his senses, and she didn't break apart from him until she tugged her shirt over her head, thrusting her full breasts towards him. "Please, Hyde" she whimpered.

As Hyde stared down at her, his thoughts drifted back to three weeks ago when Jackie had been similarly distraught.

"_Please, Steven," Jackie moaned as she straddled his lap, rubbing her bare chest temptingly against his Grateful Dead shirt. _

"_Jackie, just tell me what happened," he begged, having already asked the question a dozen times in the ten minutes since she had flown into the basement sobbing. _

"_My mom, she," her breath hitched at reliving the painful memory, "I told her we were getting married, and she…she told me you were trash and that she wouldn't consent. And I told her she had no say…that I don't need her consent. And she said so many awful things, Steven," breaking off in sobs again, she buried her face in his shoulder. "I told her…I told her I hated her. I told her she's a bad mother." Hyde wrapped his arms around her more tightly, knowing how hard it must have been to say that, but on the other hand, Pam would never change if someone didn't tell her she needed to. "I told her I loved you…that you took care of me when she was off being a whore."_

"_It's okay, baby," he whispered to her, ready to tell her that Pam would come around, when she interrupted his thoughts with the real reason she was here on his lap, begging him to take away her sadness. _

"_She's gone, Steven. She left...again." Hyde's body tensed with anger, and Jackie's sobs slowed, almost as though she had cried herself out. _

"_What can I do, Jackie?" he asked, ready to track down Pam and wring her whorey neck if it would make her feel better._

"_Fuck me, Steven." She ground out, offering up her breasts to him and moaning as he took them in his hands. Without a second thought, Hyde kissed her roughly, pulling her body against his and plundering her mouth with his tongue. If fucking Jackie would take the pain away, Hyde was going to do it so she'd never think about her shitty parents again._

"God, yes, Hyde," Donna moaned happily at the sensation of his tongue sliding through her mouth. She hastily pulled his shirt over his head, rubbing herself up against him deliriously in the dark room.

"What do you want, Donna?" he asked, gritting his teeth and squeezing his fists at his sides as he tried to figure out what to do. He knew exactly what Donna wanted, and she was his friend—his hot friend—and part of him wanted to make her feel better. But a more rational part knew that Eric loved her more than life, loved her enough to hurt them both by running away, and that this would tear him apart. It knew that whatever happened with Jackie, he loved her and it wouldn't help anything to be with her best friend. And God, she was drunk and sad and there was no way they weren't going to regret this in the morning. Even with that more rational part of his brain working, though, he was finding it awfully hard to summon the strength to pull away from Donna.

"Fuck me, Hyde," Donna groaned, pulling away from his mouth to answer. His tenuous control snapped at those words, and he couldn't stop himself from raising his hands to pull off her bra and cup her bare breasts, pulling on her nipples roughly. His hands slid up from her breasts into her hair, where he grabbed fistfuls of the silky red strands, using her hair as leverage to pull her up so that she stood in front of him.

"Take off your jeans," Hyde growled, feasting on the sight of her naked curves as her pants slid down her legs, revealing panties that matched the bra lying on the floor. He remembered the days when he pined after her, when he thought she was the most perfect woman he had ever seen. In fact, he probably hadn't gotten over that feeling until the first time he had seen Jackie naked. Now, looking at her… Well, of course Donna was hot, but she wasn't the pinnacle of perfection that Hyde had always imagined her to be. For some reason, that pissed him off.

It was only a matter of seconds before Hyde had stripped off her panties and his jeans as well and pushed her face down onto the bed, driving into her tight core in one thrust.

_Jackie stood in front of him, twinkle lights glowing on her naked body as she shivered under his intense gaze._

"_God, baby, you're so beautiful," Hyde whispered, standing up to kiss her deeply. His hands ran over her body, toying with her nipples, tickling down her stomach, twirling in the dark hair between her thighs, before he slipped two fingers into her wetness. _

"_Steven, please," she moaned, obsessed with the need to be filled by him. She worked hastily to unbuckle his belt and open his fly, and her soft hands stroked him lovingly as he kicked off his jeans and boxers._

"_How do you want it, baby?" he asked, loving the fact that after over a year together, she was finally comfortable enough to ask for what she wanted and to do things that she had never done before._

"_Like this, please Steven," she begged, bending over and grabbing onto the edge of his cot, wiggling her bare ass towards him. Hyde groaned at the sight, coming up behind her and sliding two fingers into her core, making sure she was ready for him. Finding her wet and responsive, he guided his throbbing erection into her, slowly filling her both physically and emotionally. _

"_Jesus, Jackie, you feel so fucking good," he groaned as he sheathed himself entirely inside of her, leaning forward to kiss her neck as he moved._

"_Harder, baby," Jackie whimpered as her orgasm built. As he complied, Jackie let loose a screech buried in the blanket on his bed, "God, Steven!" _

_They exploded together, screaming each other's names in the empty basement before collapsing together, wrapped around each other on the cot. Jackie buried her face in Hyde's bare chest, sighing happily as she cuddled against him._

"_Everything's gonna be okay, Kitten," he murmured, holding her tightly._

"_I know." As she smiled genuinely at him, Hyde felt his heart flip in his chest. "I love you." She burrowed back into his chest as a lump rose in his throat, and all he could do was hold her even more tightly._

"Fuck, Hyde," Donna moaned into her comforter as his thrusts gained speed, causing her bed to sway and squeak beneath her. He gripped her hips painfully, pulling her back against him as he thrust, forcing himself as deep as he could. His mind was filled with thoughts of Jackie, and he found himself not caring much whether Donna got off or not. When her body began to pulse around him in orgasm, Hyde once again fisted his right hand in her flowing red hair, pulling her head backwards sharply as he propelled the rest of her body forward on the bed. It was her final scream of completion and exhaustion that sent him over the edge, exploding inside of her.

They collapsed together on the bed, purposefully keeping several inches between them. They were both feeling guilty, but it was Hyde who felt the most sickened to see red and not brunette hair fanned out on the bed next to him. It wasn't until he caught his breath that he noticed Donna staring at him oddly.

"Tell me what happened with Jackie?" she asked quietly, more interested once she had taken the comfort she so desperately needed. "Did she seem, like, normal to you?"

Hyde almost laughed at that, but scowled deeply instead. "That depends what you mean by 'normal.'" Donna misunderstood his words as a comment on Jackie's irrational nature, and assumed her friend was fine.

"At least she made it home safe. You know, I was almost positive that I saw Kasey Kelso slip something in her drink; that's why I sent her home early." She shook her head with disgust, not noticing the anguished expression that crossed Hyde's face. "What happened between you two?" Hyde jumped up from the bed and began to throw on his clothes as he spoke.

"Uhh… I came to the Foreman's and found her and Kasey Kelso…together." Hyde closed his eyes in horror at the memory of them together. He could see every nuance of Jackie's expression, every ripple of Kasey's back. But she might have been drugged?

"Oh my God, that asshole really _did_ drug her." She shook her head angrily, but seemed to think of something. "I still can't believe she slept with him, though…and, God, that you had to see! I'm so sorry, Hyde, God, what a bitch for doing that after cutting you off!"

"Yeah, uh… We fought about it and Jackie suggested that I have sex with a stripper to even things out."

"Wait, you had sex with a stripper?" Hyde couldn't tell whether she was angered or amused by that, so he just shook his head.

"Didn't get that far. Jackie changed her mind before I got more than half a blow job." The memory of what he had done with the stripper didn't mix well with the memory of being so intimate with Jackie, and he felt enraged with himself for ever going along with it, especially after what Donna had just told him.

"That's too bad," she said, making Hyde angry.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'too bad'?" He glared at her.

"Oh, come on, Hyde, she holds out on you for practically no reason and then you have to see her fuck Kasey! You should have gone through with it whether she wanted you to or not!" Donna's righteous anger for Hyde only pissed him off.

"What the fucking hell, Donna? What kind of feminist would stand there and tell me that it's a good thing to be with a stripper when I'm supposed to be engaged? Besides, you just told me she was probably drugged!"

"The fact that she was drugged doesn't make it okay turn into a fucking whore!"

"But it's okay for _you _to turn into a fucking whore when you have a little liquor and your boyfriend leaves town?" Hyde flung back at her, pissed off that she could talk about Jackie like that after acknowledging that she was under the influence. Thinking back, he realized that Jackie had behaved as though she wasn't entirely sure what was happening all night.

"And what about when Jackie comes back, Hyde? Didn't you make a whore out of yourself as much as I did?"

"Jackie's not coming back," he murmured darkly.

"Wh-what?" Donna asked, frightened by the ominous sound of his voice.

"She left to be with her mom." His memories took him back to the last few moments he had spent with Jackie in the motel room. He tried to process the fact that she was most likely drugged, and came to the heart-wrenching conclusion that if he had only listened to her instead of being such an ass, they might have worked things out. But after the crap he had pulled with Fluffycakes…

"I'm sure she'll be back, Hyde, you know she was never good at being alone."

"Shut the fuck up, Donna!" Hyde screamed at her. "You were supposed to be her fucking friend, but you were willing to sell her out in a second because you're a goddamned whore!" Donna looked shocked by his outburst and began pulling on her own clothes as she fumed.

"You're fucking crazy, you know that!" Donna screamed at him. "I don't have to listen to this crap! I'm going to go find Eric and try to work things out!" She zipped her jeans and turned towards him, fully dressed. "And just for the record, you're a crappy lay! I didn't want your scruffy, burnout, _crazy_ ass back in junior year, and I don't want it now!" she screamed.

"I'm not fucking crazy," he growled. Livid beyond words, Hyde reached behind him and grabbed the toaster that Eric and Donna had fought over, and Donna screamed.

* * *

The Foreman Basement

Sunday, May 21 - 9:13pm (1 hour later)

After having searched high and low for the tall dufus, Fez flew down the outside steps into the basement, swearing he heard Kelso's voice below. "Kelso! You'll never guess what I saw Hyde…" He swung the door open and stopped cold the moment he saw Hyde's glare from the couch.

"Saw me what?"

"Hyde," Fez said guardedly, briefly glancing around the room to dreadfully conclude that they were alone. "It is you."

"Yeah, it's fucking me," Hyde said, getting up from the couch. He turned off his episode of Little House on the Prairie and stepped toward Fez. "Please go on, Fez. What is it you _think_ you saw me do?"

Fez took a step backwards with each of Hyde's advances forward. "Where is Donna, Hyde? And Eric? And Jackie?"

Hyde's face seemed to soften slightly. "I already told you, man. I don't know where Jackie and Forman are," he explained, turning around and heading for the stairs leading to the kitchen. Hyde looked up briefly as he continued. "And as for Donna, she left to go find Forman. He called earlier; he's in Detroit."

"Yes, I know," Fez replied, his eyebrow arched in intrigue.

Hyde's eyes narrowed as he walked back toward Fez. The smell of whiskey on Hyde's breath made him extremely nervous, and was already cowering when Hyde asked his question. "And how do _you_ know?"

"I was there, Hyde. In Donna's closet," Fez lowered his eyes, shamefully. "It's Saturday night and it's her new 'candle-lighting' night if you…know what I mean." His face suddenly distorted in anger. "But I saw you there! And you…YOU stole Eric's naughty parts you son of a bitch! And cheated on Jackie! Again!"

Swallowing hard, Hyde glowered at Fez. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about, man."

"Oh, I know, Hyde! I saw everything! You got drunk and poked her puppy-style and pulled her beautiful hair! It gave me needs. But," Fez nearly burst into tears, "you…you…"

Hyde's blood boiled as he moved toward Fez rapidly, grabbing him by his tight polyester shirt. "You're gonna wish you weren't such a pervert, Fez."

"Steven!" Kitty called out, her tiny feet trotting down the stairs as Hyde backed away from a flinching Fez. "I've got an entire Mexican buffet in my kitchen and NO ONE is here to eat it! Now, you two are going to get your fannies up those stairs before I move them for you," she yelled, her wine splashing out of its glass carelessly. "So move it, misters!"

Hyde glared at Fez and spoke in a low growl. "It was an accident, Fez. You tell _anyone_ what happened with Donna, and you're gonna be the ground up meat in that Mexican buffet."

Fez gulped. "Well, I'll have you know that I am not Mexican," he quipped as he slipped carefully past Hyde and up the stairs.

"Whatever!" Hyde yelled, following close behind.

"And I am not frightened of dying," he heard Fez grumble to himself. "Why should I be frightened of dying?" Hyde just rolled his eyes at his weird friend, but continued up to the kitchen without comment.

* * *

The Hub

10:17pm (One hour later)

One long, strong arm holding him steady, Kelso had a small brunette—eerily similar to Jackie—happily trapped between himself and the Space Invaders console. "So, yeah, I'm about to have a baby. It's due in a month," Playing off the girl's pouting coo, Kelso sadly continued, "Yeah, the mother's dead so it's just me." A brief glare signaled the girl's hasty retreat. "What! I wasn't gonna ask you to baby-sit or anything! Damn it." He felt a tap on his shoulder and spun around.

"Kelso!" Fez wheezed, bent over in exhaustion, a single arm reaching out to his friend. "I need to tell…tell…you something."

"Man, Fez. What's the matter with you?"

"Hy...Hy…Hyde," upon the name of his curly-haired friend, Fez quickly became nervous, remembering his rather convincing threat. Fez stood upright, sat Kelso down and spoke slowly. "There is something I have to tell you, Kelso. It's about Hyde. But, I cannot tell you because he threatened to kill me if do. But," Fez smiled, "if _you_ were to _guess_, then he cannot kill me, right?"

Kelso's mouth was wide open, confusion plastered all over his pretty face. "Uhhhh."

"Snap out of it, dummy! This is important!" Fez screeched, stepping back. "Now, watch." He put up three fingers and smiled.

"Yay! I love charades!" Kelso leaned forward and settled in to play. "I'm really good at this!" he added, excitedly.

Fez nodded wildly and held up his three fingers again, prompting Kelso to begin guessing. "Three words." Fez nodded and held up one finger, "First word," then slapped one finger on his arm. "One syllable." Fez nodded again and frogged Kelso angrily. "Hyde!" Fez's gesticulated excitedly, making Kelso laugh, before putting up three fingers. "Third word." Cupping his chest—indicating large breasts—Fez began to sensually lick his lips. "Donna!" Kelso yelled causing Fez to nod happily. This was going to be easier than he thought. "Yeah, cause if you had made them smaller, I woulda said Jackie." Taking in a deep breath, Fez continued on, holding up two fingers. "Second word," Kelso said. Fez cupped his ear, deciding to start at the beginning. "Sounds like." Fez dropped to the floor. "Man, what are you doing?" Throwing a dirty look in Kelso's direction, Fez covered his head. "Stop, drop and roll?" Fez shook his head wildly. "Well, why are you ducking, man?" His eyes growing wide, Fez jumped up and motioned Kelso on. "What? Stop, drop and roll?" Fez shook his head angrily and fought the urge to strangle Kelso to death. "Ducking?" Nodding violently, Fez motioned for him to continue his line of thinking. "I don't understand, man. You just ducked down." Flailing his arms, Fez kept Kelso's mind churning. "Sounds like…_ducked?"_ He was encouraged and smiled as Fez hopped around the room.

"Hyde upchucked on Donna!"

Fed up, the short foreign boy walked over and began to strangle his lanky friend. "I already guessed Hyde!" Kelso choked out. His patience depleted, Fez broke his silence.

"How did you get this stupid!"

"I don't know!" Kelso yelled, fed up, too, as he stormed out of the Hub. Both exhausted and frustrated, Fez sat down. He was going to have to find another way to expose Hyde. "Ooh fries."

* * *

Chubby's Strip Club

Sunday, May 21, 1979 – 3:47 pm

Kelso paused before entering the club, taking a moment to smooth his shirt and proudly straighten his badge; after all, he _was_ an officer of the law. Stepping in stealthily, he noticed that the ambience inside was much different than it had been the previous Friday evening. Lights illuminated the entire main room, there was no music and not a single patron could be seen—probably due to the stage being empty and the tap being locked, Kelso figured, using his finely honed police skills. A man behind the bar, going over time cards, greeted him suspiciously.

"Afternoon Officer. How can I help you?"

"Well," Kelso began as he swaggered over, "I have reason to believe that a young fella by the name of Eric Forman disappeared after leaving your club on the evening of May um, May… Friday night."

"Huh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that but a lot of 'fellas' came in here on Friday night so, I'm not sure how I can help you."

Kelso's brow furrowed in deep thought. "Uh, huh. Well, then I'm gonna have to personally interview all of your strippers."

"You mean the ones who were working that night?"

"No, I mean ALL of them." Upon the manager's strange look, Kelso slapped his hand menacingly over his nightstick. "Is there gonna be a problem here?"

The man remained eerily calm. "Yeah. There's only two here right now."

"Oh," Kelso said with a dumb smile, his pretense slipping. "Can I talk to them?"

"Sure. They're in back."

A boyhood fantasy fulfilled, Kelso was shown the strippers' dressing room at the far end of the club. The manager shoved his face into the cracked door. "You girls dressed?"

"Yeah, Sam. Come on in."

"We got a visitor," he added warily, opening the door.

As Kelso stepped inside, two girls stood up nervously. One in particular, a petite brunette, smiled when she got a better look at the tall man in uniform. "Hey there, Officer. What can we do to you…I mean, _for_ you," she giggled, her eyes making a sweep over the bulge beneath his utility belt. "Wow. That's an awfully big night_stick _you got there, Officer."

The blond elbowed the smaller girl's prattling form as she flirted shamelessly with Kelso. "Hey!"

A brief glare sent the smaller girl away in a huff, and the tall blond stepped forward somberly. "How can I help you Officer?"

"Oh, uh, I'm looking for a friend of mine. He," Kelso glanced around and lowered his voice, "_we _were here on Friday night. His name's Eric and it was his bachelor's party and we bought him a lap dance with this girl and then…"

"Oh my god! Eric! No, yeah! That was _me!_ I remember him. He was cute, really scruffy. Hot guy. We had a little fun after."

"You and _Eric_?" Scruffy? Hot? Kelso had always thought Eric had a rather charming smile but never knew that chicks considered him hot, or _scruffy_.

"Oh yeah. He came by as I was getting off work. He had this little brunette chick with him. She was blubbering all over the place. It was pathetic."

"A brunette chick?" Kelso thought for a moment. Who the hell would Eric be hanging around with that was…"Jackie?"

"Yeah. That was her name. Jackie." Candie scoffed. "The little whore cheated on him and he just wanted to get even, the poor guy."

"Cheated on him?"

"Yeah, see, she was sleeping with his best friend, from what I gathered. And he was fuckin' _pissed_. So he came and got me like a smart boy," she said, smiling.

Kelso's brain was spinning like an over-worked machine, grinding and sparking, and in danger of overheating. "Okay so…Wait…I don't…"

"Look. We went to the motel across the street and I gave him a little head until the sniveling bitch starting going on and on about how much she loved him. So, I just left and that's the last I saw of him." Candie paused and waited for the dumb, confused look to leave this pig's face. It was strange though. She usually hated cops but this one seemed harmless, and a little lost. "I can show you the motel if you'd like," she added, pitying him.

"Oh, uh. Yeah," Kelso sputtered out, nearly in shock but deep in thought. So, Eric had been nailing Jackie all along? The jerking off to her, the looks, the "devil" talk, all that sexual tension—it all made sense now. Eric was pissed that Jackie was screwing Hyde and had kidnapped the poor girl to have her all to himself, abandoning Donna in the process. But why would he grab a quick blowjob before blowing town? Damn, he'd have to figure that out later. Confident in his initial assessment, Kelso gave Candie a determined look. "Take me to the scene!"

_Ten minutes later…_

The head clerk of the Mirage Motel opened the door to room #14, letting the stripper and the Point Place police officer inside with a snide smile. "Here you go Officer. Take your time."

"Well, thank you. I usually do." What a nice guy, Kelso thought to himself as he and Candie stepped inside. "So as I was saying," he continued, "Point Place is actually a hot-bed of illegal activities," he said almost grittily as he strutted up behind her. "Yeah, I can't even count how many times I've caught people ripping off those little pillow tags."

"What's this?" Candie said, bending down to reach under the bed. Kelso studied her ass as she pulled out a white, rainbow trimmed, unicorn.

Kelso pointed. "Hey! That's Jackie's! I gave that to her after I cheated on her!"

Candie studied the plush child's doll, thinking back to the sad, drunk girl who gripped it for dear life while crying her heart out to the man she loved—while he got blown by a stripper. Feeling the fresh sting of guilt, Candie's heart sunk when she turned FluffyCakes over to see his backside. "It's got blood on it."

Kelso leaned forward. "Where?"

"Right here," Candie pointed. "On its tail." She looked at Kelso and was taken aback by his distressed expression. "What's wrong?"

"Jackie's been missing, too," Kelso answered, "You don't think Eric would've…"

"He was _really_ pissed," she interjected. "_Really_ pissed."

Kelso grabbed FluffyCakes from Candie's grip and anxiously danced between the door and the stripper, unsure of his next move. "I think I gotta…I gotta…I gotta find Hyde!" Making a run for the door, Kelso stopped and turned around suavely. "So you think after the whole investigation, maybe you and me could…"

"_GO!"_

"Ok!" Kelso bolted from the room and headed for his cruiser, his heart racing with anticipation. How the hell was he going to tell them all—Hyde, Donna , Fez, the Forman's, random people at the Hub—about the biggest, most well-kept, secret in the history of Point Place: Skinny, twitchy Eric Forman was living a double life, moonlighting as both a stud and a psychopath—he had fooled them all.

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**A/N2:** Ok, we know this chapter probably didn't go like you were hoping…but remember, we are on a _very_ specific, _carefully_ planned track with exactly six chapters left, and everything happens for a reason, even icky sex between characters you didn't want to "see" doin' it. 

In a story this strange, it is especially important to us that we know what all our readers are thinking, so please take a moment to let us know…anonymous reviews are accepted, and you don't have to leave any name or e-mail. Reviews are better than a naked Hyde _not_ screwing Donna!


	8. Money

**A/N2**: Wow, I think I hear an echo in here. Yeah, we expected that. According to our reviews, half of you left us, but it's cool because you know what that means: Half of you stayed. Yay! Y'all really trust us and we love you for it. If you're reading this, it means you actually returned after a Donna/Hyde sex scene, a very disturbing scene, we agree. It grossed us out too, but it was absolutely necessary for the story to continue. We're sorry people left, but what could we do, they didn't trust us and it's a shame, too, because the worst of it's over, phew, and now we're heading full speed toward that happy ending. You know when you've ridden a really crazy roller-coaster and it finally pulls to a stop and your hair is all over the place and your adrenaline's pumping but you just can't stop smiling and laughing, you know that high? Well, that's our ending (hopefully you'll agree), and we hope you'll be there to enjoy the fruits of your "having to watch H/D do it" labor. As for this chapter, you guys were correct—payback _is _a bitch.

**Additional note**: We were actually a little upset to discover that one person talked down our story—named it and everything—in someone else's review, which, to us, is just wrong. We figure if you have something to say about us, it belongs in our review boxes. Don't the rest of you think? Look. All we're saying is… if you wanna trash our story, do it to us directly, please don't do it out in the ff community. It's just common courtesy. Thanks.

* * *

**Previously: **

_Kelso bolted from the room and headed for his cruiser, his heart racing with anticipation. How the hell was he going to tell them all—Hyde, Donna , Fez, the Forman's, random people at the Hub—about the biggest, most well-kept, secret in the history of Point Place?: Skinny, twitchy Eric Forman was living a double life, moonlighting as both a stud and a psychopath—he had fooled them all._

* * *

**Money**

"_Steven," Jackie's voice rang out in his small bedroom, and Hyde took in the scene in front of him: Jackie and himself arguing right after he found her with Kasey. Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin was pale, and her whole body was shaking. His counterpart only glared at her where she stood leaning against the "High St." wall. "Baby," she moaned, sounding much sicker than he remembered. "Baby, I don't feel good." Hyde watched in horror as the scene unfolded…he had ignored her words, failed to notice how sick she was. She whimpered pathetically against the wall, and it was obvious that she was very ill, but in his anger, he had failed to notice._

"_Steven, please." She walked towards him, her bare feet shuffling slowly along the floor as she spoke in broken whimpers. "Please talk to me. I don't…I don't understand what just happened, baby." Hyde watched as Jackie wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her nearly limp body against him only to be pushed away by her unfeeling fiancé. He stared in horror as his counterpart glared at her murderously, her sad whimpers and tears not remotely penetrating his shell. _

_Jackie faded before his eyes and he found himself back in the motel room, standing at the door as he watched himself guiding the stripper's head over him. Jackie was curled in a chair, her eyes still puffy from crying and whatever drug Kasey had slipped in her drink, clearly in another world. Hyde stared at his unfeeling, angry counterpart and wondered how he had managed to ignore that something had been so wrong with Jackie. Disgusted with himself, he walked across the room to kneel down next to the crying girl._

"_Jackie," he whispered, running a hand through her hair. _

"_It hurts so much," she moaned, looking him in the eye sadly before curling into a tight ball. He couldn't tell whether she was talking about her head or the sight before her. _

"_Jackie, I'm so sorry," he begged her forgiveness as he rubbed her back. _

"_I know, Steven, just please make it stop…please…" Her whisper was too quiet to carry across the room; it was meant only for him. Determined to make her feel better, he tried to get up, to stop the horrible mistake he had made by being with that stripper, but his legs were glued to the ground._

"_Jackie, I can't baby," he said, struggling to move. "I can't change it."_

"_I love you, Steven," she called out before her face and voice slowly faded away…_

Hyde jumped up from the basement couch that he had been sleeping on, and he stared hard at the washer and drier before registering his surroundings. Just another dream…but God, the more he thought about it the more he was positive that Jackie had been acting strangely that night.

"That's not Eric! That's Hyde!" Kelso's voice cut through Hyde's thoughts, and he turned around to see Kelso in his cop uniform, Fez, and a familiar blonde woman staring at him while 'Money' by Pink Floyd played in the background.

"I don't care what his name is, I'm telling you, that's the guy!" Candie's voice grated his nerves, and he couldn't do anything but stare open mouthed at his friends as they talked about him.

"Well, was he with Jackie?" Kelso asked, not understanding why Candie rolled her eyes.

"How am I supposed to know, Michael? He called her Jackie, but apparently your friends like to go to by different names."

"Oh, I have a picture," Fez smiled and pulled out his wallet, flipping through several photos to produce one of Jackie, dressed in her cheerleader uniform. "I also have one of her in a blue bikini," he offered, handing over the photo to Candie.

"Yeah, that was her. She was crying and stuff; he was really angry because she slept with his best friend." Hearing her talk about Jackie finally snapped Hyde out of his stupor.

"She didn't sleep with my fucking best friend; you don't know what you're talking about!" He growled at the woman before turning to Kelso angrily. "What the FUCK is she doing here?!" Hers was one face he would have been happy to never see again.

Kelso and Candie whispered quietly to each other for a minute before Candie headed for the back door, shooting a dirty look at Hyde. Watching her as she left, Kelso smiled widely before turning to Hyde.

"I think I love her, man!" he sighed.

"No you do _not_," Fez chimed in from behind him, shaking his head.

"Yeah, you're right, I don't…but she sure is hot! Almost as hot as Jackie. Her ass, though…she's got nothing on the way Jackie looks in this uniform…" Kelso looked down at Fez's picture of Jackie, still clutched in his right hand as Hyde reached forward and frogged his friend hard. "Damn, Hyde! That hurt!" As Kelso rubbed his right arm, Hyde grabbed the photo from his limp hand, shoving it in his back pocket. Fez winced at the sight of his picture being crumpled, but didn't object as he had plenty more pictures where that one came from.

The pain in Kelso's arm seemed to jar his brain, though, and he turned accusatory eyes on Hyde.

"So, speaking of Jackie, HYDE," he narrowed his eyes but lowered his voice. "Did you think it was alright to be in a motel room with Jackie and a stripper on Friday night?"

"Kelso, you don't understand…Jackie, she…" Hyde ran a hand over his face, wanting more than anything not to get into this conversation. "I'm not talking about this with you." He started to turn away, but Kelso's serious voice stopped him.

"Jackie _what_, Hyde? What did Jackie do? Because I think I know what you did to Jackie!" Hyde looked at him with surprise, but refused to answer the question.

"She slept with his best friend," an obnoxious voice broke the moment of silence; no one had noticed Candie come in through the door clutching a small toy.

"She didn't sleep with my best friend, you stupid bitch!" Hyde yelled at her before turning to Kelso. "Your asshole brother drugged her and I found them…"

"Hmph," Candie rolled her eyes, "your girlfriend turns into a slut, so _of course_ she _had_ to be drugged." Hyde bristled at her sarcasm, but it was Fez who responded.

"Donna saw it, it happened," Fez told Kelso before turning to stick his tongue out at Candie. She may have been hot, but he wasn't going to warm up to a stripper who was badmouthing his Jackie just because she had nice boobs.

"Kasey wouldn't do that!" Kelso shouted, refusing to believe that even Kasey, who was usually up to no good, would sink so low.

"No, Kelso, Donna really saw it happen," Fez said sadly, "I heard her say it before she and Hyde left." Kelso's eyes saddened with the truth of the statement, but it only fueled his determination to find Jackie; the more he thought about it, the more he was sure that she was hurt or in trouble.

"So, I bet that made you pretty mad huh?" He asked his friend, his eyes narrowing with anger. "I bet you were really pissed off at Jackie…what do you think you might do to someone if you were that pissed?" Hyde was about to respond, but Kelso grabbed Fluffycakes from Candie's hand and held it up for Hyde to see. It was dirty, wrinkled, and on the back leg…

Hyde's face blanched as he saw the toy Jackie had clutched less than two days ago stained with blood. Wracking his brain for exactly what had occurred that night, he knew there was a reason that he felt so guilty…but what did he have to be guilty about? He was mad that night, but he wouldn't have… Kelso cut off his thoughts with a quiet question that had been working through Hyde's mind for two days.

"Where is she, Hyde?"

"I don't know…" Hyde responded, his voice far away as he dredged through his memories. "I mean, she's with Pam but I don't know where."

"You keep saying that," Kelso began, "but I ran into Bob at the Piggly Wiggly earlier, and Pam came back from Chicago _yesterday_, Hyde, and I'm pretty sure she hasn't seen Jackie."

"All I know is that she was going to be with Pam, Kelso," he sighed, rapidly losing his patience.

Kelso was struck with a bright idea. "I'm going to go talk to Pam and see if she knows anything about this little trip you _say_ Jackie took." Pausing, he tapped on his night stick and walked around his friend, drawing on his interrogation training. "Yup…She'll probably have some really good _evidence_, you know… Is there anything you want to confess?"

"Kelso…" Hyde rolled his eyes.

"Confess!!" Kelso screamed right in his face, earning him a hard shove from Hyde.

"Would you stop it with this shit?" Hyde yelled as Kelso picked himself up off the floor. "Get the hell out, and take that _whore_ with you!" Kelso tossed Fluffycakes on the couch and grabbed Candie's hand as he walked away.

"Michael, shouldn't you keep the evidence safe?" Candie asked, referring to Fluffycakes. He paused on the stairs to look at her.

"No, baby, that's not evidence…it's a unicorn!" Rolling his eyes her, he continued out of the basement, pulling her along behind him.

"Hyde," Fez began, worried for his friend. Hyde just grabbed Fluffycakes and walked back to his bedroom.

"Not now, Fez." His words were distracted, his mind obviously in a different place. Shrugging his shoulders, Fez flopped back on the couch to watch television, deciding he should give Hyde time alone.

Closing his door behind him, Hyde walked over to the cage housing Miss Z and pulled his rabbit out. Lying back on the bed, he set the bunny on his chest and closed his eyes, digging for memories of the moments before Jackie left him. He had been holding Fluffycakes, standing over her huddled form as he pushed her against a door. And then…

Everything seemed hazy until waking up on the floor of the wrecked motel room the next morning; he couldn't even remember Jackie telling him that she was going to live with Pam. He could barely picture her face as he sat on the bed, trying to conjure any memory of her at all. His blank memory scared him, so Hyde opened his eyes again and stared down at his bunny.

"I really fucked everything up, didn't I?" Miss Z just stared at him, but Hyde knew the answer was 'yes.' With a loud sigh, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out Fez's picture of Jackie, staring wistfully at the image of the girl he loved in her uniform. When the bunny nibbled gently on the edge of the photo, Hyde turned it so she could see, too.

"You miss Jackie, don't you?" he asked, looking at the bunny's twitching face, still wearing the remnants of the makeup Jackie had applied. A slight head movement was accepted as a 'yes' while Hyde stroked Miss Z's soft fur. "I do, too," he confided.

The picture of Jackie smiling widely in her green and white uniform dredged up the memory of the night after the Christmas dance, just five short months ago when everything had been so good…

_Jackie pulled Steven up off the couch where they had been cuddling quietly and led him to his small, dimly lit room._

"_I made a special cheer just to thank you for going to the dance with me," she smiled, knowing that he would roll his eyes even as he watched her every move. _

"_That one out there wasn't special?" he teased, watching her blush a little and wondering what had her so flustered. His smile fell, though, as Jackie slid her top over her head and then shrugged her bra off. "Jackie," he groaned, pulling off his own shirt and reaching for her as she stood before him topless. _

_Jackie gently pushed Hyde backwards and smiled mischievously as he landed back on his cot. "No, baby, just watch," she said, taking her cheer's ready position: hands on hips. "You ready?" she asked him, winking._

_Hyde nodded dumbly, never taking his eyes off her perky, bare breasts._

"_Okay!" She began with High V, "S — S-T — S-T-E-V-E-N, Yeah, That's right! It's he, who's hot and makes me so ha-ppy!" _

"_Jackie," Hyde's voice stopped her, and she looked at him expectantly. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to reign in his need to just grab her and take her on the bed, before he continued. "It's a really great cheer baby," he said sincerely, the obvious erection at the view of her bouncing breasts as she clapped her hands and kicked high in the air proved that he told the truth. The only disappointment was the sight of black cheer briefs underneath the skirt. "But there's one thing that would make it…awesome." _

_At his leering stare, Jackie knew exactly what he had in mind. Giggling slightly, she reached under her skirt and pulled off her cheer briefs, tossing the cotton into Hyde lap and smiling before returning to her cheer. _

"_J — J-A — J-A-C-K-I-E, Yeah, Uh, huh! I'm she, who's gonna let you score with me!" _

"_S-C-O-R-E Score, Steven, Score! Whoo! Whoo! Go, Steven!!" She kicked in the air, giving him a perfect view of everything below her skirt before flipping her skirt one last time and jumping over to his lap, straddling him in the dim light._

_She nipped lightly at his lips, giggling at the feeling of his hands sliding over her body._

"_Thanks for coming tonight, baby," she smiled brightly at him, letting him know how much she meant it. The words were a pleasant surprise, and he felt butterflies fill his stomach like they did every time she let him know that she appreciated him. He still wasn't sure how to respond to such open, honest emotion._

"_That was a pretty good way to thank me," he whispered in her ear, covering his nervousness as he trailed his lips down her neck. _

"_Steven," she moaned as her bare flesh broke out in goosebumps, her nipples tightening even more as she pressed herself against him. "The dance wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked. Hyde stared at her in disbelief, clearly telling her that yes, it was so bad. "Oh, come on, you didn't enjoy being the sexiest guy there?" She laughed at his smile and the blush that painted his cheeks._

"_Jackie…" His tone was warning, but it only made her laugh harder._

"_Aww, did I make my little Puddin' Pop blush?" Her teasing earned her a scowl as Hyde narrowed his eyes at her, and suddenly she found herself on her back with Hyde hovering over her, one hand trapping both of her wrists over her head. His gaze swept over her half naked body before he pinned her eyes with a determined stare, and Jackie felt a stab of arousal shoot through her body, settling between her legs. _

_While mentally preparing herself to be ravaged, Jackie failed to notice that Hyde's free hand was slowly crawling over her exposed chest, so when she felt him dig his fingers into her ticklish side, she screamed with surprised laughter. Thrashing underneath him, Jackie tried to escape his tickling onslaught, but he had all of her limbs securely restrained to the bed, rendering her struggle pointless. _

"_Steven, please," she begged between gasps for breath, never ceasing her writhing. _

"_Please what, Jackie?" he asked innocently, silencing his laughter and slowing his tickling, instead rubbing his hand up and down her bare torso, taking in the feeling of her warm skin._

"_God, Steven," she moaned as his free hand cupped each breast before sliding down her stomach and up under her skirt. _

"_Jesus, baby," he groaned as he found her core drenched with the evidence of her arousal. Two fingers slid inside her tight passage, massaging her gently as his mouth descended on hers, kissing her deeply while he drove her body to orgasm. _

_Jackie lay beneath him panting with completion while Hyde placed gentle kisses over her exposed skin, releasing her wrists and letting both of his hands explore her body._

"_I want you so much, Jackie," he growled in her ear as his kisses moved over her neck. Her response was to reach her hands down and slide his belt out of his jeans before lowering the zipper and pushing his pants and boxers down his legs. A moment later, they were naked save for Jackie's cheer skirt, pushed up around her waist, and staring into each others eyes as Hyde hovered over her. _

"_Steven," she whispered, thrusting her hips up towards him and urging him to slowly slide his manhood into her. They moaned loudly together at the feeling of complete penetration, and Hyde dropped his forehead to her shoulder as he began to thrust. Jackie wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as his movements gained speed, quickly finding herself on the brink of another orgasm. Trying to silence the scream of pleasure bubbling up through her body, Jackie found Hyde's shoulder and bit down, sending a thrill of pain through Hyde's body that launched him immediately over the edge, exploding inside of her._

"_Fuck, baby," he panted, coming down from one of the most intense orgasms he had ever experienced._

"_I'm so sorry, Steven," Jackie whispered, her fingers tracing the ugly purple mark adorning his shoulder. Hyde smirked at her concern and shook his head. _

"_I kinda like it," he teased, looking down at the mark that served as a tangible reminder of their night. Leaning into his shoulder, Jackie kissed the mark gently._

"_Merry Christmas, Puddin' Pop," she whispered to him as she curled up by his side._

"_Merry Christmas, Kitten." And for the first time in what he remembered of his life, 'Merry Christmas' really meant something… _

Hyde was pulled from his thoughts by a sharp rapping at the door accompanied by someone softly humming The Star Spangled Banner.

"Go away, Fez," Hyde called out, irritated at the interruption and quickly becoming pissed as Fez ignored him and entered anyway. "Fez, I told you, not now!"

Putting on his bravest, most serious face, Fez slinked further into the room. "Hyde, I am really worried about you and I just..."

"Yeah, well be worried for Jackie," Hyde interjected, nursing his own worries as he combed through Miss Z's soft fur, his features marred by torment for Fez to plainly see.

"Hyde…" With nothing but concern for his obviously distraught friend, Fez inched closer to the bed and took a seat by Hyde's feet. "Hyde, you shouldn't listen to Kelso. When he thinks he has a case to solve, he starts thinking he's Scooby Doo, especially with that uniform."

"Huh, I always saw him as Shaggy and _you _as Scooby," Hyde said, flatly, never taking his eyes off Miss Z.

Fez smiled. "I _am_ Scooby, huh?" Hyde nodded sadly and Fez quickly returned to the subject at hand. "Hyde, what's the matter with you? What has been going on with you the past two days? This has been a terrible weekend, and I know that you're upset about Jackie and Kasey, but me and Kelso need you."

"Nobody needs me," Hyde corrected angrily, sitting up, his gaze now set on a startled Fez, "The one person who actually did…I discarded like trash! I called her a whore, man, when I should've been defending her!" Fez witnessed what he never thought he would, Hyde appeared weak, near tears, his usually tough veneer on the verge of collapse as he spoke.

"Hyde, Jackie will be back..."

"No, she won't!" Hyde yelled, making Miss Z scamper her startled, swollen body down his legs toward Fez, who picked her up and placed her safely on his lap. "Why would she, Fez! When she's finds out about Donna…man…" Fez watched Hyde's eyes sadden as his head slowly dropped and shook in regret. "I took it too far, man. I was…so mad, Fez. I thought…I mean, I saw her and…" Unable to verbalize his name, the word souring his tongue before it could even come out, Hyde stood up from the bed and began to pace. "Man, Fez, she was sick. She tried to tell me, and I was so pissed that I didn't bother to listen. He fucking raped her man!" Hyde wiped his eyes as they fogged his vision, his gaze back on Fez, who sat stunned.

"He did, didn't he?" The thought made Fez want to cry; why would someone do that to a woman? He couldn't even fathom it. "I can't believe that Kasey would do such a thing."

"Yeah, well, he did, and he's gonna fucking pay for it, Fez." The look in Hyde's eyes made Fez nervous, lasting only until Hyde moved briskly across the room and grabbed a green dufflebag from behind his chair. "Fez…" Hyde said calmly.

"Yes?"

"You're my friend, right?"

Fez nodded, resolute in his answer. "Of course I am."

Hyde swallowed hard and shifted his eyes to the floor as he stood sternly before Fez, his hands on his hips. "If I tell you something, man, you promise not to freak out?"

His brow furrowed, Fez hesitated before nodding. "Okay, I promise."

Gathering his thoughts, Hyde licked his lips and shifted his weight nervously. "When…um, when I said that Jackie was with Pam…" Fez gulped at Hyde's painfully long pause. "I mean, I really don't know where she is, I'm not lying about that, but…it's just, it's because I don't remember what happened that night," Hyde waited, quickly determining that Fez was remaining true to his word; he hadn't moved. So he continued, "After the stripper left, me and Jackie got into an argument and…we both said a bunch of crap and…I got really…pissed, Fez. I shoved her against the wall…" His damp eyes rose to meet Fez's. "…and then I …I grabbed that stupid unicorn and I shoved it in…in her face…" His eyes widening, Fez froze, unable to move as Hyde appeared on the verge of breakdown. "…and I can't remember anything after that. I woke up," He choked out, "the next morning in the room; there was a broken lamp and she…was just gone. I don't…I don't know what happened to her, man. Fez," Hyde let out softly, his voice subdued but scared, "I think I might be going crazy, man. I don't know what to do."

A small, nervous squeak escaped Fez's mouth as he opened it to speak. "Uh, did she leave a note or anything?" Hyde shook his head sadly. "Well, maybe she left and is just really angry at you and is not ready to come home yet. Or..." Fez's face brightened quickly, "Hey! You said that there was a broken lamp, right?" Hyde nodded, and Fez continued, obviously encouraged by the gesture. "Okay! Then she probably hit you over the head with the lamp and then…left!"

"Yeah, but…wouldn't I have a cut on my head?"

"You don't?" Fez walked hesitantly towards his friend, pushing aside curly hairs to inspect his head for damage. "No, I do not see anything, but that does not mean it didn't happen, Hyde."

Shaking his head, Hyde shrugged lamely and drew in a deep breath. "I don't know, man. What if I…what if I hurt her, Fez? What if _I_ hit _her_ with the lamp? What if that blood is hers?"

Fez shook his head profusely, angrily. "No! You would _not_ hurt her, Hyde! You love her. I know you do. You can sit there and deny it all you…"

"I'm not…gonna deny it Fez."

Fez closed his eyes and nodded, impressed with his friend's candor. It was nice to hear. "Well, you would not hurt her, Hyde. I know it."

Hyde smiled weakly. "Fez?"

"Yes, my friend?"

Clutching his bag, Hyde plopped himself down in the chair across from the foreigner. "I'm gonna be leaving soon but I need to ask you a favor first."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. But I can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"I don't belong here anymore, Fez. After what I did to Forman…man, I don't know what the hell I was thinking. Fuck, I _wasn't_ thinking. Donna, man…the craziest shit, Fez—all I thought about was Jackie."

"I'm glad, Hyde. I was actually very upset with you."

"Yeah, well, not as upset as Forman's gonna be and Jackie…" Hyde shook his head, again. "I went too far, man. You know, we probably could've survived the whole mess at the motel but, fuck, not now," he said quietly, dropping his head back along the chair's high back, "I blew it, man. I betrayed her…_and_ Forman. God, Fez, man, I'd give anything to take it back." Shutting his eyes, he could hear the subtle movements of his only remaining friend—Fez—as he stood up from the cot, carrying Miss Z.

"Hyde, what do you need me to do?" Fez asked, determined as all hell to put his basement family back together. "I'm here for you."

Sitting up, Hyde gathered his second wind. "I need you to help me find, Jackie, man. I know we're over but I can't leave until I know she's safe. Will you do that? Will you help me?"

"Of course I will, Hyde. I love Jackie."

"I know you do, man," Hyde said, nodding. "Hey, Fez? You wanna hear something strange, man?"

"Always."

"I miss her," Hyde said sincerely, "a lot."

"Well, of course you do; she's Jackie. What's so strange about that?"

"No, I mean _really_ miss her, like…I feel like she's been gone forever, you know." Hyde sighed loudly. "I feel like I'm going insane, man…I can't picture her face and she's only been gone for two days. But it feels like she's been gone for a month."

Fez perked up. "Oh, well here," he offered, pulling out his wallet and grabbing yet another photo of Jackie, this time in a floral dress, posing on the Forman's driveway. Giving it a quick glance, Fez smiled and handed it over to Hyde. "You can borrow it for a little while."

Hyde grimaced. "Man, why do you have so many pictures of my girlfriend?"

"She was _my_ goddess before she was _your_ girlfriend!" Fez spat.

"Fine. Whatever, man. Just come on," Hyde said, sliding the photo into his back pocket as he stood. Dropping his duffel bag, he headed straight for his dresser and got to his knees, blindly reaching underneath for something. A moment later, Hyde pulled out a wooden baseball bat and got to his feet. "I got something I gotta do first, and _then_ we go find Jackie."

Fez gulped several times as he set Miss Z back on her blanket in her cage. "What do you need a bat for?"

"Batting practice," Hyde answered, grinning, "let's go."

* * *

Pinciotti Residence – 8:04 pm

Kelso swaggered back and forth for several minutes, never uttering a single word as Pam, Candie and Bob all sat on the couch, watching in confusion as they followed his every move.

"Alright," he finally began, addressing Pam, "so you haven't seen Jackie?"

Everyone let out a huff and a sigh as they collapsed back on the couch. "Oh my God, Michael! She already said 'No' like six times! She hasn't seen her!" Candie snapped, dropping her head in her hands. "How is this town still standing?" Shaking his head in near disgust, Bob shrugged his reply.

"How is_ he_ still standing?" he shot back. Candie simply shook her head, too; she had no clue, and apparently neither did Kelso.

"What?" Kelso asked, innocently. "I was taught at the academy to be thorough!" Candie stood to meet him.

"Look. Michael. I know you're trying to be professional, and I actually think it's really cute, but you need to face it—your friend, Eric..."

"Hyde."

"Whatever. _Hyde._ I think you need to face the fact that he did something to her. He was the last one with her before she disappeared and I already told you, he was looking to hurt her that night. I could feel it; he was SO tense, so angry with her. You need to report this."

Listening intently to the blond, Pam stood up, her brow furrowed in concern. "Wait a minute? Are you telling me that that trashy boy might have hurt my little girl?" She turned to Bob. "Bob, what are you gonna do about this?"

"Who me?"

"Yes, you, baby. My little girl is missing and that dirty orphan boy had something to do with it; I just know it!" She scooted close to him and swept her hands down his chest seductively. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

"But Pammy, I need to find Donna. My little girl was left at the altar and now she's nowhere to be found. She's probably devastated, Pookie Bear," he cooed.

Pam rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I already know that? I came all the way back here for her wedding, obviously a waste of time," she added, smiling at Candie. "God knows it's hard to marry off a girl who wears as much flannel as Donna."

Raising her eyebrows, Candie stepped around Kelso. "Wait, Donna?" A thought occurred to her as she spun around to lock eyes with Kelso. "Didn't the short guy with the weird accent say that Er…Hyde was the last person to see _her_, too?"

"Yeah." Kelso's jaw dropped. "That's right! He was!" Drawing on the strength of the men in blue before him, Kelso took the lead, once again. "Bob! Take me to Donna's room."

"You know where it is," Bob stated simply.

Kelso rolled his eyes. "Fine!" he huffed, storming off towards the red head's room, closely followed by Pam, Bob and then Candie. Upon entering the room, Officer Kelso's eye zoned in on the first obvious clue. "Ah-ha! Panties!"

"Gimme that!" Bob ordered, snagging his daughter's panties from Kelso's grip. "What kind of a cop are you, grabbing a young lady's panties?"

"A damn good one, Bob," Kelso replied seriously.

"Hey, Michael. Don't you think it's strange for someone to have a toaster in their room?" Candie asked, picking up the silver appliance off the floor. "It's dented, too."

"Oh, cool. I need a toaster!" Kelso exclaimed happily.

On the verge of tears, Bob carefully took the toaster from Candie. "May I?" She nodded as Donna's father studied the strange dent. "My baby girl," he cried out. "She would never hurt this toaster. She loves this thing." Candie made a face, grimacing at Kelso.

"A toaster?"

"It reminds her of that bride-abandoning jerk!" Bob explained, letting his tears fall. "Something's wrong! My baby needs me!"

Pam placed her hand over her mouth. "It was him, that, that white-trash boy Jackie was seeing! I'll bet he has something to do with this," she offered, nodding her head. "Yeah, cause he's poor and poor people are just bad."

Bob nodded. "That is true and he _was_ the last person to see Donna _and_ Jackie."

Oh my God," Kelso shouted, "I think I know what happened…Hyde killed Jackie and Donna!" Then Kelso gasped, his mouth hung open in pure astonishment. "And _Eric!"_

Candie looked confused. "Wait, there really _is_ an Eric?"

"Oh yeah," Bob interrupted, nodding his head, "That's the jerk that abandoned my little girl at the altar."

"Oh my God," Candie continued, her lips stretching into a big smile. She turned to Kelso. "Michael, I think you've got your first murder case, baby!"

His face lighting up like a child's, Kelso pumped his fist, showing his excitement. "Yes! No, wait." His face fell, "No. That would mean that my friends are dead." The room fell into an ominous silence until Pam turned to leave Donna's room, heading straight for the chrome bar downstairs.

"I need a drink. It keeps me from frowning and my skin can't handle that right now," she huffed.

Kelso followed. "I'm with ya, sister."

"Michael!" Candie called, "You're on duty!"

"Damn it!"

* * *

Sunday May 21, 1979 - 8:41 pm

Chubby's Strip Club

"So, uh, what do you say me and you go check out my Trans Am?" Kasey asked, grinning charmingly at a young brunette as she used her tongue to cap her straw, sipping alluringly on her Pina Colada.

The girl smiled, giggling slightly at the handsome bartender. "Sure. But I gotta let my friends know."

"No problem," he replied. "Just don't be too long." As the girl sauntered away from the bar, Kasey Kelso turned his back on the club and grabbed the trash, quickly moving the large bag to the alley dumpster. After tossing it in, he smiled to himself and turned around, ready to head back inside when he was abruptly introduced to Steven Hyde's fist.

To Be Continued…

* * *

**A/N2: **Well, if anybody's still out there, we would really appreciate a review. Your thoughts are forever appreciated. And remember, reviews are better than naked Hyde defending the woman he loves. Thank you. 


	9. Us and Them

**A/N:** We'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with us and reviewed consistently…back when we were planning this whole thing out, we were _so_ sure that by this point we would have two readers left. Seriously, we lack words for how completely awesome you all are, and it warms our little Zennie hearts to know that y'all trust us enough to have put up with everything so far. But, you know, unlike the That 70's Show writers, we don't just mess shit up for fun, and we don't throw strippers in for no reason. Remember that nothing that happens is random or without purpose, and we've left a few little clues that we think could help you understand why we felt the need to write such a strange story, and maybe even where it's all going.

**Us and Them**

_Hyde walked the familiar route up to Eric's room, a sense of dread slowly filling his senses. Coming to the closed door, he could hear them. Panting, moaning, pleading for more…harder… _

_He didn't want to open the door, didn't want to see them, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Suddenly, he was staring at Jackie's face as Kasey Kelso pounded into her, making her come hard as she called out his name. It all played itself out in slow motion. Jackie looked up at him in horror, but instead of the drunk, hazy expression he was expecting, her eyes were clear and showed a complete understanding of what she was doing. She wanted it. She wanted Kasey to fuck her like that, she wanted to call out Kasey's name, she wanted to look Hyde in the eyes as another man violated her. _

"_Oh God, yes, Kasey!" Her voice rang out through the dark bedroom._

_Anger swelled up inside of him, and he reached for the nearest object he could find: a discarded t-shirt. Walking up behind Kasey, he flung the white cotton around his neck, pulling back hard enough to crush his windpipe and send him crashing to the ground. Another moment of tugging and twisting sharply on the fabric, and Kasey had stopped moving. Now he lay, devoid of life, in a heap on the floor._

_Turning his angry glare on Jackie, Hyde could see her trembling with fear, her eyes wide and frightened as she stared at him._

"_Please don't hurt me, Steven," she whimpered, but he didn't hear. Instead he grabbed the pillow off of Eric's bed and crushed it into Jackie's face, smothering her scream of terror with Spiderman's crouching body. She thrashed against him, knocking over a nearby lamp and a shelf of Star Wars models in her struggle for air. Hyde just held the pillow over her mouth mercilessly, wanting her to hurt, to suffer, to die…_

"Steven!" Kitty called, startling him out of his horrible dream. Taking in his surroundings, Hyde realized that he had fallen asleep on the couch last night. His whole body was sore as he tried to remember exactly what he'd done the night before…

* * *

_Apart from his raging headache, Kasey Kelso felt fine as he slowly opened his eyes, hearing only the sweet hum of his Trans Am in motion. Peering over at the driver's side through squinted and nearly swollen-shut eyes, he found Steven Hyde driving and singing softly to Pink Floyd._

"_Goodbye cruel world, I'm leaving you today. Goodbye, Goodbye…Hmm hmm…"_

"_Hey…man," Kasey choked out, gulping away a fresh lump of anxiety that had quickly collected in his throat. "What's goin' on, buddy?"_

"_You and I are going for a little drive," Hyde answered calmly._

_Within a matter of seconds, Kasey discovered that his hands had been rendered immobile by something that felt a little like rope. He tried to tug them apart, but it was no use; Hyde had thought ahead and bound the former Marine's wrists together. "Hyde, look, man. She came on to ME and she's a really hot girl, what was I…"_

"_Shut the fuck up," Hyde growled, pulling the car over and sending Kasey's face colliding into the passenger side window. "We're here," he said, quieter and eerily calmer than before as he threw the gear into park and got out of the car. Slamming the door shut, Hyde stalked around the car to the passenger side, inciting pure panic in Kasey as he squirmed in his seat and tried to undo his ties. _

"_Fuck! Fuck!" But there was no time. The passenger door flew open and Kasey was suddenly on his knees in the dirt. "Come on, Hyde! She wanted me, man! What was I supposed to do?" A boot to the face shut Kasey up temporarily, causing him to fly back against the car. "Damn it, Hyde," his bloodied mouth spat. "What the fuck did you go and do that for?" Before Kasey knew it, a picture of Jacquelyn Burkhart, smiling in her favorite sundress and standing on the Forman's driveway was shoved in his face._

"_Her," Hyde clarified with a smirk, followed by another kick to the rapist's head. "Now, shut the fuck up!"_

* * *

"Eric's on the phone, he wants to talk to you." Kitty called down, pulling him out of his memory; her usual excitement was absent, instead she sounded tired and dull, but Hyde had been wanting to talk to his friend, had been missing him more than he anticipated. When he walked upstairs to the kitchen phone, Kitty was holding the receiver with teary eyes. "I understand Eric," she whimpered in a voice that contradicted her statement. "I just miss you, sweetie…" Whatever Eric was telling her was obviously not easing her pain, and she whimpered slightly as she said her goodbyes and handed the phone to Hyde. Without sparing him another glance, Kitty ran from the room, headed for the living room.

"Forman?" Hyde asked, holding the receiver up to his ear.

"Hey, Hyde," Eric answered, sounding happier than a man who had ditched his fiancé should.

"How's Detroit?" Hyde asked, holding back the inexplicable desire he had to beg his friend to come home and fix everything. That's what Eric did…he saved everyone's asses when they were in trouble, and, God, Hyde didn't think he'd ever been in bigger trouble.

"It's pretty great, man," Eric answered, his smile carrying through the phone line.

"You, uh, haven't seen Donna, have you?"

"No, man…" Eric answered, the tone of his voice betraying that he hadn't spent much time worrying about his red headed love.

"She was driving up to find you," Hyde explained, remembering the scene just before Donna had left. They had screamed at each other, parted on horrible terms, and Hyde had thrown her beloved toaster against the wall with enough force to dent the damn thing.

"I, uh…I think I'm gonna break up with her…for good, Hyde. I mean… I realized that I can't be with Donna right now. I was always just holding her back, and it was because I needed to take some time to figure out who I am and what I want." Listening to him speak, Hyde suddenly became suspicious.

"You met a fuckin' chick, didn't you?" he asked, half proud, half accusatory.

Eric laughed before he answered. "Yeah, I did. And Hyde, she's…she's…she loves Star Wars, man, and she works at a comic book store and she didn't make fun of me for wanting to roleplay as Luke and Leia. She wanted it, too!" Eric sighed happily and Hyde grimaced at his pansy-ass friend's lovesick musings. "I feel like this is what I need to do, you know?"

"I thought you left because you wanted what was best for your relationship with Donna," Hyde accused, growing irritated with his friend and conveniently pushing aside the memory of what he had done with the red head.

"But that was before I got here. Maybe what's best for my relationship with Donna is for us to be apart right now! I need to find myself, Hyde."

"What, and you 'find yourself' by screwing a chick who loves Star Wars in the same unholy way you do?" Hyde asked, annoyed.

"In the end, we're only going to go round and round with this, Hyde. You have to accept that this is my decision." Eric sounded so sure of himself that Hyde decided to drop that line of discussion.

"So then, you don't know when you'll get back?" Hyde couldn't mask the pain in his voice as he asked the question…couldn't hide the need he had for Eric to come home and help him figure out what to do.

"Dude, is everything alright?" Eric asked, concerned by Hyde's tone.

"I don't know, Forman," Hyde whispered into the phone, leaning his forehead against the wall. "The night you left…everything went to hell. I found Jackie with Kasey Kelso, and, and…I think I hurt her, Eric. I can't remember, but…" Closing his eyes, Hyde thought about how much he had wanted to talk to Eric; how much he had needed the sane voice of his friend. His voice still shaking with fear and the confusing emotions left over from that night, Hyde related the whole story to Eric.

"Hey, man, I'm sure it's alright. You wouldn't have done something like that, I know you. However much you like to pretend, you love Jackie and Jackie loves you…I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for everything."

"Why couldn't you be here to tell me that back when it happened?" Hyde asked, his voice shaking and near tears. "Why aren't you here to help me fix this?" In his mind, Hyde found himself blaming whatever had happened with Jackie on Eric. After all, if Eric had been around to claim his lap dance, he might have never met the damn stripper in the first place, never had that encounter with Donna. Eric wouldn't have let him fuck everything up so completely, wouldn't have let him get into the irreparable mess he was in now.

Eric's mouth fell open at the raw emotion in his unemotional friend's voice. That wasn't something he ever expected from Hyde. "Hey, now, buddy. God only knows, it's not what I would choose to do. But Hyde, I _need_ to do this for myself. I would be there to help you if I could…but I _have_ to stay here." There was a long pause on the line, filled only with the sound of Hyde's labored breathing. "Do you think everything's alright, man?"

"I think I'm going crazy," Hyde confessed. "I can't remember what happened with Jackie, and last night… I just…I feel like I don't know what's going on, which is which and who is who. I really…"

"Hyde, I have to go," Eric cut him off, saying a quick goodbye and hanging up the phone as 'Leia' emerged from the bathroom of his motel room. He felt a little guilty for abandoning his friend, but really, it was a busy day and he had things on his mind. Well…maybe just one thing, he smiled to himself as his new lady friend slipped off her robe and stood before him nude.

"God you're sexy, Leia," he growled, earning him a breathy giggle from the smoking hot blond Star Wars geek in front of him. She flopped down on the bed next to him and kissed him soundly on the lips before pulling him over her.

"I need to feel you, Luke," she smiled widely as he shuddered at the name. "Use the force." They smiled together before melting into a sensual embrace and cocooning themselves under the covers.

* * *

The memory of what he had done last night wouldn't leave Hyde alone, and images of Kasey's bloody face haunted his thoughts as he stood with the dead receiver in his hands.

* * *

_As Kasey lay on the ground groaning, he tried to gather his strength after the several merciless stomps that had been inflicted upon his once handsome face. The El Camino, driven by Fez, approached the scene; its headlights illuminated the form of Steven Hyde as he stood over Kasey Kelso and contemplated his next move._

_Cautiously, Fez got out and approached the two. "Hyde?"_

"_Where's my car?" _

"_Back there," Fez replied timidly; the look on his usually stoic friend's face was making him nervous. "What are you going to do to him?"_

"_Just go wait in the El Camino. I'll be there in a minute," Hyde said, finally taking his eyes off the bloodied asshole at his feet. More scared than he had ever been in his short life, Fez complied, backing away as he watched Hyde open up the trunk to the Trans Am and pull out the wooden bat. "Ai," he whimpered to himself before turning to run and hide in the Camino._

_Consciously waiting for his foreign friend to disappear from sight, Hyde returned his attention to the man who had violated and raped his fiancé. He lifted Kasey to his feet and tossed the bat on the ground behind himself. Untying the rope quickly, Hyde shoved Kasey forward. "Let's go!"_

* * *

It was the muffled sobs coming from the living room that finally pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Mrs. Forman, are you okay?" Hyde asked quietly as he stepped through the swinging door. She looked up at him guiltily and wiped her eyes, smoothing her makeup and trying to smile for the Hyde's benefit. She knew that since Jackie had gone missing, Hyde had been having a hard time.

Patting the seat next to her, she began to speak. "I'm just fine, sweetie… It's a little hard, you know. Laurie's always been such an ungrateful child and now Eric left without even saying goodbye." She shook her head sadly. Hyde sat down next to her, feeling slightly awkward being around so much emotion, but also wanting her to feel better. "Did he tell you when he might be coming home?"

Hyde shook his head. "No…I don't think he's coming home, Mrs. Forman. He wants to break up with Donna…he was talking about finding himself and a new girl he met… I think he's staying." His voice cracked on the last word, and Kitty looked at him with wide sympathetic eyes.

"He abandoned you, too, didn't he?" Hyde just nodded pathetically, letting Kitty hug him tightly in her motherly grief. "Everything is going to be just fine, Steven. I bet you anything Jackie will show up soon, and everything will be fine." She smiled brightly at him, hoping to lift his mood.

"I don't think so," he mumbled sadly. "Even if Jackie does come back, I screwed everything up so bad that…" Putting his head in his hands, Hyde spoke to the floor while Kitty listened. "I think I hurt her, Mrs. Forman. I think…I think I did more than hurt her. I don't remember everything…it's all hazy…but I keep having these dreams, and…"

"No, Steven! I don't believe that for a second! My sweet little orphan boy would never hurt someone!"

"But that night…I found her in Eric's room with Kasey…having sex with Kasey, Mrs. Forman." He shook his head at the vivid memory of the scene.

"WHAT? That little harlot seduced _my_ Kasey?" She seemed to catch herself after a moment, and turned to Hyde. "I'm so sorry, Steven…"

"No…he drugged her. She was drugged… But I didn't know it that night…I was so mad…so mad…I just…"

"No…" Kitty shook her head at the thought that such a handsome man could be so horrible without even a scar or an eye patch to warn others. "Steven, everything is okay; I'm just _sure_ that you couldn't have done anything wrong. Everything's alright. You're going through a stressful time right now, honey, and it's completely natural that you would be having nightmares, but they don't necessarily mean anything."

Hyde tried to accept Kitty's comfort but found it impossible to ignore the feeling that he had done something horrible.

"Why don't you head downstairs, Steven?" Kitty suggested when she noticed that her words were making no impression on the troubled boy. "I think I saw Michael pull up in his fancy new car with that nice little blond girl he's been bringing around here so much."

"Mrs. Forman!" Hyde exclaimed, outraged. "She's not a nice girl, she's a freakin' stripper!"

"Well, all I know is that she complimented my cookies, and she seems like a very polite young lady." Irritated with Kitty, but unable to express his anger with the woman who had taken him in and would defend him against anything, he stood up and headed back into the kitchen on his way to the basement.

As he walked, he rubbed his sore shoulder and remembered how he had swung his wooden bat at Kasey using every ounce of strength in his body…

* * *

_Disoriented, Kasey turned around. "Man, Hyde. I'm telling you, she asked for it! She was all over me! And if you have a problem with that, then you should probably take it up with her!"_

"_What the fuck did you give her?" Hyde asked, stepping forward and hurling a rapid left hook at Kasey's face that sent the eldest Kelso son down on his ass. "What the fuck drug did you give her?!"_

_Holding his swelling face, Kasey glared up at Hyde. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, man." Unsatisfied with the obviously bullshit answer, Hyde yanked Kasey back up off the ground. _

"_I'm gonna ask you one more time," he growled, shoving Kasey back once more. "What did you give Jackie?"_

_Already beaten to the point of delirium, Kasey threw caution to he wind and smiled at Hyde. "What is it exactly that you're upset about, Hyde, that I fucked her or that she liked it so much?"_

_A wry smile graced Hyde's face; he was done asking questions. "Alright," he said, leaning over and picking up his trusty bat. "I gave you enough chances."_

"_Hyde, come on," Kasey pleaded, his arm extended in self-preservation. "She's just another chick, man. We've known each other forever."_

"_She was gonna be my wife, you piece of shit." Without warning, Hyde drew his Louisville Slugger behind his back and swung with all his might, making a clean shot at Kasey's gut. Feeling no mercy, he swung again, never noticing that Kasey was bent over from the previous hit, and caught him directly in the windpipe with a crushing blow. A sharp gasp fell from Kasey's lips as he collapsed, wide-eyed, at Hyde's feet…_

* * *

His eyes glued to the television, trying his best to ignore the disgusting slurping sounds coming from the couch, Fez sat in Hyde's chair and wished for normalcy.

"Come on Candie. It won't take long, baby. Fez won't see," Kelso assured her, drawing out a strange giggle from the stripper's lips as she pulled away from their kiss.

"I don't care if he does." Startled, Fez looked over just in time to catch Candie's wink.

His deep brown eyes narrowed, lips thinly pursed for dramatic effect. "Oh don't even try it, you whore." Candie gasped at the foreigner and turned to Kelso.

"Michael! Are you just gonna fucking let him talk to me like that?"

"But…you're a stripper, baby," Kelso reasoned, his voice slipping into a whisper when he found her ear and nibbled lightly. "And you liked it last night."

Giggling, obviously recalling the memory, Candie gave him a kiss. "Oh yeah," she confessed, standing up. "I'm gonna grab a beer, baby, you want one?"

"Hell yeah," he answered enthusiastically, shifting his gaze to Fez, "You want one, man?"

Moving his glare from Kelso to Candie, Fez shook his head. "No."

"Aw, come on, Fez. How often do we get a chick in here who fetches beers? Jackie and Donna never did that! They never did anything…no stripping, no tube-top wearing…and definitely no fetching of beer. Candie's the best, man!" he announced, smiling at the tall blond, who smiled back.

"You disgust me," Fez shot back, getting up from the couch. Did no one care about where his poor Jackie had disappeared to? Did no one see how badly Hyde had deteriorated in the last three days? "What about Jackie, Kelso? Have you forgotten about my goddess?"

"I'm not on duty, FEZ!"

Fez shook his head with pure disgust. "I cannot stay here anymore. I am going home. Good day."

"But Fez…"

"I said good _fucking_ day!!" Kelso's mouth dropped open just as Candie tossed him his beer, but it slipped through his butterfingers and fell to the floor. Without thinking—probably still in shock from the gutter mouth on the foreign kid—Kelso prepared to pop it open just as Candie sat back down.

"No, Michael!"

_POP! Spash!_

"Michael!" Candie screamed as an entire can of Lowenbrau exploded all over her pink tube-top. "God damn it!"

"I'm sorry, baby! Here," he offered, taking off his wet shirt and handing it to her. "Wear this."

"That's wet, too," she snapped, looking at him as if he must have been the dumbest man on earth. "What am I gonna do?"

Kelso thought for a moment until it occurred to him. "Hyde has t-shirts! Tons of 'em. Man, he's got like a thousand of 'em! Really crappy ones, too. He won't care." Grabbing hold of Candie's sticky, beer dampened hand, Kelso walked into the small back room.

* * *

As he entered through the kitchen door from the living room, Hyde caught Fez walking out the slider door. "Hey Fez," Hyde called out discretely, waving him over. "Come here, man." He watched his small friend turn around slowly, cautiously; he looked…terrified. "Fez? What's up, man?"

Taking a struggled gulp, Fez forced out his words. "Uh, uh, nothing?"

Hyde grimaced and reached to comfort his friend with a pat, but Fez flinched and stepped back. "Man, what…what the hell happened last night? How did I get home?"

Unable to believe what he was hearing, Fez took another step back and glanced at the slider door latch, making sure it was in the unlocked position in case he needed to make a harried run for it. "You don't remember? You drove us home, Hyde. After…" he trailed off, too upset to finish his thought.

"After what?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Fez replied, his voice trembling. "You're scaring me, Hyde. And where is Jackie?"

"I already told you, I don't know, man!"

Reaching into his back pocket, Fez pulled out his wallet and grabbed his entire stack of Jackie photos—probably his favorite thing in the world. "Well you better start remembering, really soon," he said, shoving the stack at Hyde's chest and leaving him standing in the kitchen in shock as clutched the twenty or so pictures of his brunette beauty.

* * *

"Why does he have so much girlie shit in here?" Candie asked as she stepped into Hyde's room, looking over the scented candles and twinkle lights skeptically.

"Huh? Oh, Jackie did all that crap," Kelso answered. Rifling through the trunk at the base of Hyde's cot, Kelso pulled on one of Hyde's shirts while looking for a t-shirt for his girlfriend—preferably something white and see-through—when he heard her squeal with excitement.

"Michael, look at this dress! It would look so cute on me!" Looking up, Kelso saw Candie pulling a floral halter dress off an exposed pipe where several of Jackie's favorite outfits still hung. The dress was demure on Jackie, but with her broader shoulders and larger breasts, it would be skimpy and hot on the blond girl. Sitting down on the trunk, Kelso watched attentively as Candie pulled her pink tube top off, revealing her bare back to Kelso's appreciative gaze. Looking back over her shoulder, she winked at him while shimmying her hips, sending her tiny shorts down her legs and revealing her lack of underwear.

"God, you're so hot baby, you should move to the freakin' Playboy mansion in Chicago." Candie giggled at the compliment, turning slightly to give Kelso a peek of her full breasts and shaved pubic mound before pulling the dress up, pretending to be demure under his lustful gaze. Once she was dressed, she turned to face him, showing off the alluring way the dress pulled over her chest, barely containing her.

"What do you think, Michael?" she asked playfully, spinning in a circle and letting Kelso admire her in Jackie's favorite dress. The way he licked his lips while he stared at her let her know exactly what he thought, and she laughed when he stood up and reached for her, easily dodging his grasp. A moment later, Kelso had her pressed up against the wall, his muscular chest pressing against her while his hands rested on the wall on either side of her head, his strong arms acting like a cage. His eyes held a predatory gleam that sent a rush of wet heat through her body, leaving her eyes hooded with desire and her lips parted in invitation.

"I think you're a sexy little slut, baby," he growled in her ear before capturing her lips with his, feeling her body's response to his domination. She kissed him back desperately, opening her mouth to his tongue's insistent demand and moaning as he bit down on her lower lip. As they roughly kissed against the wall, Candie slid her hands down Kelso's well defined chest, quickly removing his belt and jeans.

Kelso growled low in his throat when Candie dropped to her knees in front of him, pushing his boxers down his legs before taking his throbbing cock enthusiastically in her mouth, wasting no time as she swallowed it down.

"God, baby, you're such a good little whore," he told her as he slid his fingers through her blond hair, holding her head steady as he thrust himself into her mouth, nearly coming at the sight of his hips pressed into Candie's chin, his dick completely buried in her throat. He pulled away before he exploded, though, tugging her hair and pulling her into a standing position before lifting her up and pinning her to the wall, his muscles flexing with the effort.

"God, Michael, fuck me," Candie moaned loudly as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing Jackie's dress up and bringing her bare pussy into contact with his aching erection.

"No," he groaned, pulling away from her and turning her body around, driving into her aching wetness in a single stroke. Candie supported herself with her hands on the wall, pushing her hips back against Kelso's as he thrust into her roughly.

"Yes, Michael!" Candie called out as she writhed against Kelso's penetration, coming hard as he fucked her.

"Oh fuck, baby," Kelso gasped as her orgasm pulsed around him, sending him over the edge with a throaty yell that was interrupted when the bedroom door slammed open.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" Hyde seethed, taking in the scene before him: Kelso in his favorite Zeppelin shirt with jeans bunched around his ankles fucking someone from behind. Someone wearing Jackie's dress… "Jackie?" Hyde whispered, filled instantly with soaring hope and crushing horror. When Candie turned her head to see who had caught them, all of Hyde's thoughts turned instantly to anger. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing!" He roared, taking in the sight of the blond whore in Jackie's clothes, getting fucked by Kelso, in his fucking _bedroom_.

Kelso stared at his friend with wide, terrified eyes. "Oh, uh, Hyde…I spilled beer on Candie and she needed clothes and…please don't kill us!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Hyde growled at his friend before pointing at the blond. "Get that whore the fuck out of my room and give me back my shirt and Jackie's dress!" He remained at the door, glowering at the couple and not showing the least interest in Candie's body as she stripped off the sundress and replaced it with her shorts and wet tube top. His disgust with her was so complete, so consuming, that he couldn't even objectively appreciate her body.

"God, do you think it's alright to just freak people out like that! UH!" With that, Kelso grabbed Candie's hand, leading her out of the room and hoping to avoid further confrontation with Hyde.

Finally alone in his bedroom, Hyde wished to God that this day could just be over. Jackie was gone, the fucking stripper whore was still around, Fez was terrified of him, and he had… God, had he _killed_ Kasey?

* * *

_Hyde froze for a moment before using his foot to nudge Kasey's lifeless body. "Hey. Get the fuck up," he ordered, prodding him again. "Damn it." Kneeling down, Hyde checked his pulse. Nothing. The asshole was dead. "Oh, shit." His blood ran cold as he took in the scene. Looking around, Hyde checked the area for anything linking him to the crime. Just the bat. He nearly walked away with just that before he had a thought and reached into Kasey's pockets, finding immediately what he knew would be there: an unlabeled bottle of tiny white pills. "Fucker," Hyde grumbled, kicking the deceased lump on the ground one last time._

_Tossing Kasey's keys into the Trans Am, Hyde returned to his El Camino. "What did you do to him?" Fez asked cautiously._

"_Fez. If anyone asks, we were in the basement tonight. Both of us, all night. Got it?"_

"_But Hyde…"_

"_Got it?!"_

"_Got it," Fez whispered._

_Never uttering another word, Hyde drove down Mt. Hump and returned to Point Place for what he swore would be the last time…_

* * *

Hyde closed the door to his room and paced the small area, sparing a glance at the white rabbit in her cage. So he was really a murderer, no matter what happened with Jackie. Of course he couldn't stay in Point Place. Tonight…he would leave tonight. First he needed to sit down and wrap his mind around everything that had happened. As he sat down, he felt the crinkle of Fez's photographs in his back pocket.

Pulling out the stack of pictures, Hyde flipped through them until he found one of Jackie in her tiny blue bikini. God, she was so hot in that swim suit. Lying back on his cot, Hyde remembered the exact day Fez had taken this picture: almost a year ago when he and Jackie were broken up…

_Hyde crawled out of the backseat of the Vista Cruiser with Fez, annoyed that Jackie had stolen into the front seat, keeping her distance as she had all summer. The gang, minus Kelso, had gathered in Forman's driveway an hour ago to attend a party Pam Macy was throwing in celebration of the end of summer, wishing luck to all the new high school grads headed off to college._

_Jackie sauntered ahead of the gang towards Pam Macy's house, wearing a mostly transparent cover over her tiny blue bikini. He watched her hips sway as she walked; the motion of her ass was hypnotic. He was assaulted by the memory of the previous summer when he could touch every inch of skin that Jackie's bikinis revealed. Now, it was just a horrible reminder of the fact that he'd fucked up, and she was making him pay for it._

"_Hey, Jackie," a muscle bound football player called out to her, running in her direction. Hyde could read the disinterest on his girlfriend's face (ex-girlfriend, he reminded himself) until she noticed he was watching._

"_Hi, Lance," she smiled at the blond man. Shooting a brief glance at Hyde, Jackie made absolutely certain that he saw her place her hand on Lance's arm as they walked into Pam's house together. Hyde hid his anger well behind Zen and sunglasses, but goddamn, she was HIS fucking girlfriend and he'd be damned if he was going to let other guys leer at her like a piece of meat. Donna watched his jaw clench and smirked at him; he could almost read her mind. **Bet you wish you hadn't slept with that nurse, huh, dill hole?**_

_Hyde just scowled at his friends before stalking towards the house, intent on keeping his eyes firmly glued to her bikini clad ass for the whole night. He was too caught up in his thoughts to notice the small blond girl that stepped into his path right as he crossed the threshold into the house. _

"_Hi, Hyde," Pam Macy greeted him with a wink. The stupid bitch had never left him alone after junior prom. For a slut, he thought, she sure didn't understand the meaning of 'one night stand.' He was about to push her aside when he noticed Jackie watching him, her eyes narrowed with jealousy as Pam stared up at him. Hiding his smile at Jackie's reaction, Hyde turned to the blond, not sparing another glance in Jackie's direction._

"_Pam," he nodded at her, letting her take his hand and lead him out back to the pool. _

_An hour later, Pam was still talking about her graduation dress, and Hyde wanted to hang himself. Had he really once believed that Pam and Jackie were basically blond and brunette versions of the same person? Glancing across the yard to where Jackie was flirting with another football player, Hyde scowled and then looked back at Pam with false interest as soon as Jackie turned to look at him. What a fucking frustrating way to spend the day, he growled to himself as Jackie made a show about laughing at something her new arm candy was saying. _

_When he glanced up again, it was at the perfect moment to catch her pulling her swim suit cover over her head, revealing her lithe body to his hungry gaze. Shooting a haughty glance in Hyde's direction, Jackie strode to the pool, swiveling her hips alluringly while stepping onto the diving board. Waiting just a moment, until she was sure most people's eyes were on her, she walked to the edge of the board and dove into the pool. Years of swim lessons at daddy's country club paid off, resulting in a perfect dive. She swam across the pool in one breath, coming up in the shallow end and gracefully pulling herself out of the water, forsaking her towel and instead walking across the yard towards the house, letting droplets slide down her wet body. _

_Hyde watched the whole show with bated breath, equally turned on and pissed off at Jackie's performance. They locked eyes for a long moment as she walked by him, mentally daring him to take a good look at what he could no longer touch and shooting an angry glare at the blond girl rubbing up against him. She didn't notice when he brushed Pam's hand off his arm and followed her, his eyes glued to her half-covered ass while his growing erection strained against the jeans that he wouldn't take off even at a pool party. He saw an opportunity to get her alone when she passed by the deserted side of the house, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of sight of the rest of the party. _

"_What the hell do you think you're doing, Steven?" Jackie hissed at him as he manhandled her, neither exactly sure of what he was doing._

"_This is so fucking stupid, Jackie!" he yelled at her, releasing his grip on her shoulders and pacing in the narrow space. "You're acting like…like…"_

"_What am I acting like, Steven?!" _

"_You're acting like some stupid whore and letting all these guys fucking stare at you!" She slapped him hard across the face at those words, and the stinging pain ratcheted up both his rage and arousal._

"_Leave me the hell alone, Steven! As I recall, I became single the moment my boyfriend fucked another woman, so you can just go to hell!" _

_As they stared at each other, anger and pent up sexual desire reached a head, and before he had a chance to consider his actions, Hyde had shoved Jackie up against the side of the house, pinning her there with his body and covering her lips with his own in a brutal kiss. Their lips clashed together, tongues tangling passionately as Hyde quickly unzipped his pants, pushing them and his boxers down past his hips. This was going to be hard and fast and exactly what they both needed after the months of painful sexual tension._

_Pushing her bikini bottoms aside, not even taking the time to remove them, Hyde lifted Jackie's legs to wrap around his waist and sunk into her in one hard thrust that forced her roughly back against the wall, wringing a quiet scream of half-pleasure, half-pain from her throat. He set a hard, fast rhythm, pounding her into the house as she writhed against him, never holding still for a second. He felt her come around him, her whole body quaking with the force of her orgasm as her long nails dug into his shoulders, pushing hard enough to nearly draw blood. The pain sent him over the edge, exploding inside of her and biting down harshly on her shoulder to silence his yell. _

"_Jackie," he panted her name against her neck, unconsciously nuzzling the skin with his face as they leaned against the side of the house gasping for breath. When she pulled away from him with a horrified expression on her face, he felt his stomach fall past his feet. He dropped her legs and stepped back, pants still around his knees, and just watched as she adjusted her bathing suit._

"_This doesn't mean I forgive you, Steven. I still haven't made my decision." With that, she walked back out to the party on shaking legs, leaving Hyde furious and hurt as he slumped against the house… _

God he had been so angry at her that day…angry enough to go on a date with Raquel a few days later, angry enough to turn Jackie away…but not angry enough to hurt her, possibly…kill her? The thought scared him to death, and suddenly all he wanted to do was pack a bag and get the hell out of town. He had to go to Chicago, where Pam had been, and try to find Jackie, he had to know she was alright. Hyde felt completely certain that if Jackie had been in Point Place, he would have heard news of her by now, so taking his search on the road seemed like the only logical choice.

Rising from the bed, he began to throw jeans and t-shirts into his giant green duffel bag, easily fitting his life within the canvas walls. Looking at the unicorn sitting on his bed, he could almost swear that the doll was staring up at him, eyes full of anger and blame. He shoved the toy into his duffel bag, not sure whether it was a reminder of Jackie or a reminder of what he had done.

He turned to Miss Z then, staring into her beady rabbit eyes as her nose twitched up at him.

"Don't worry, you're coming with me to find Jackie. I wouldn't leave you alone with all these dumbasses." He packed up Miss Z's supplies and grabbed her cage, heading into the main room of the basement to say goodbye to his home. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when the basement door flew open, revealing Kelso, now dried off and dressed in his cop uniform. He was panting hard, and at first Hyde couldn't make out what his friend was trying to tell him.

"Slow down, Kelso," Hyde grumbled, irritated with the twit.

"They found a _dead body_ in the reservoir and I think it might be Jackie!" With that, Kelso ran out of the room, presumably to go back to the crime scene, leaving Hyde frozen in horror.

**A/N2: Reviews are better than a naked Hyde cuddling a fluffy bunny! **We're zooming to the finish of this crazy roller coaster, and we desperately want to know what you think. Remember, _everything_ that happens is planned out and purposeful, even the stuff and characters you hate. Have you found anything in our chapters that gives you a clue to what's coming? Do you have theories? Did we just crush your theories? Why the hell _are_ we writing this weird story? We _really_ want to know what you think…it helps us stay motivated to know if y'all are actually thinking about this stuff.


	10. Any Colour You Like

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!

The song in this chapter is "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd and we highly recommend that you find it right now on your iPod or YouTube and put it on when it starts in the story. Everyone who listens automatically gets membership to our super secret awesome happy fun time reader club.

This chapter is for Danny: His best friend, Bryten, died last week, he was thirty years old, and sweet Danny spent two hours on his radio show reading letters of dedication and playing songs for his departed childhood friend. We about cried. So, we just wanted to say sorry Danny, we love you, wherever you are.

* * *

**Previously:**

"They found a dead body in the reservoir and I think it might be Jackie!" With that, Kelso ran out of the room, presumably to go back to the crime scene, leaving Hyde frozen in horror.

* * *

**Any Colour You Like**

_"You sure you wanna know, Steven? Cause I have an answer for you now." _

_Hyde swallowed hard. "I wanna know," he said though gritted teeth, "tell me." _

_Jackie was huddled against the door of the small room at The Mirage motel, clutching Fluffycakes in her trembling hands. Her engagement ring had been flung across the room, and Hyde could tell from the look in her eyes that she had given up. The Jackie that would talk incessantly and forgive him for anything was gone, replaced by this cold woman in front of him. He could plainly see that her eyes wouldn't focus no matter how hard she tried to stare at him, and the quiver in her voice gave away her lie as she yelled at him. _

_"He made me come so hard, Steven; he fucked me better than you ever did." _

_But Hyde was too angry to notice that she didn't mean it, too angry to notice that she could hardly stand on her own, too angry to notice the way she tripped over her own feet as she crouched in terror. Everything moved in slow motion as he ripped the stuffed unicorn out of her hands and shoved her against the wall. Her 'No Steven' was muffled as he crushed the toy over her mouth, knocking her head back against the door with a thud. She struggled against him, arms flailing wildly as she tried to push him away, but he was larger and stronger, and in his anger, he hardly noticed her thrashing. He knew only that she had hurt him and that now he would hurt her. _

_After almost a minute without oxygen, Jackie was able to summon the strength to wiggle free of the unicorn, pushing Hyde backwards towards the queen sized bed. They collapsed there together, and Hyde quickly rolled himself on top of her, trapping her limbs under his weight. _

_"You're a fucking whore!" he screamed in her face, his features contorted with his uncontrollable rage. _

_"Please, Steven, please…I love you…Please, baby…" As he hovered over her, he heard her tiny whimpers for mercy as she tried to curl on the bed, shaking with fear. For once, though, her tears had no effect on him. She had cheated on him, fucked Kasey Kelso, and destroyed all his hopes for happiness in the process. He had loved her, been prepared to marry her… _

_"Don't you fucking say you love me, you slut!" _

_Looking at Jackie's huddled form, he felt nothing but rage and disgust. He had felt a part of himself die when he heard her call out Kasey's name in the throws of orgasm, and now he was going to watch her die. With Fluffycakes still gripped in his right hand, he savagely shoved it over her face, trapping her underneath him. This time, there was no escape, and he hardly noticed when her flapping arms made contact with the bedside lamp, knocking it to the floor in a thousand shards of glass. Her movements only made him crush the toy harder into her delicate face, earning him the satisfying crunch of what he assumed was her nose breaking. _

_Soon, her struggles began to slow, and the once lively cheerleader lay beneath him, cold and lifeless. Lifting Fluffycakes off of her, he saw her face still frozen in horror, her mouth still open from her desperate struggle for air, her nose smashed to the side, marring her once beautiful features. Hyde watched a trickle of blood slowly make its way down the lifeless face of the only woman he had ever loved. _

A cold, wet bunny nose pressed into his cheek woke Hyde from his dream, and his eyes snapped open to see Miss Z perched on his chest where she had been sitting when he fell asleep. His breathing was ragged and sweat ran down his forehead; the image of Jackie's dead body was burned into his brain. It didn't matter what Mrs. Foreman said about nightmares and stressful times, Hyde knew without a doubt that his dream told him the truth.

"I killed her," he whispered to the fluffy white rabbit on his chest. "I fucking killed her." Tears collected behind his eyelids and he made no move to brush them away as they made tracks down his face. "She's gone," he told Miss Z apologetically. Her ear, the one with a fuzzy brown pot leaf on it, twitched as he spoke, but her eyes seemed to tell him that she understood, that it was all okay. Wondering for a second if he was going crazy—taking comfort from a rabbit—he pushed the feeling aside and stroked her soft fur.

Hyde was stuck in Point Place for another day or two, waiting to see whether the body in the reservoir was indeed Jackie's. After the memory he had just had… Well, he was sure of what the police would find, and he was sure of what they would do to him. Briefly, the thought of suicide flashed through his mind; what was the point of living when Jackie was dead, anyways? He pushed away thoughts of death, though, when Miss Z squirmed on his chest, staring into his eyes hopefully. So, he had failed Jackie, the one person who had needed him, trusted him, and loved him unconditionally. He wasn't going to leave their bunny, he decided, settling himself back into the couch and stroking her silky fur. When he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that he was stroking Jackie's hair. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when something annoyingly poked into his thigh.

Reaching into his front pocket, Hyde pulled out the small, unlabeled bottle of pills that he had confiscated from Kasey's body. He wondered what things had been like for her that night: if everything had looked strange, if she knew what she was doing, if she had been terrified of everything, if she had suffered. Before he had time to think it through, he uncapped the bottle and emptied the contents in to his hand. Eight tiny white circles rested in the palm of his hand.

"I need to know," he explained to Miss Z when she cocked her head to the side. "I need to know what it was like for her." Without further thought, he swallowed down the pills and began to stroke his bunny's soft fur again.

* * *

**Thirty-four minutes later… **

Taking a long drag on his joint, Hyde looked over at Miss Z and nodded gratefully. "This was a good idea. I'm really glad you thought of it." Miss Z, now sitting across from him on the coffee table, seemed to nod her head in understanding as she stared at her owner.

"I just can't believe I killed her…" He shook his head to himself, remembering Jackie's horrified face as she had cowered from him in The Mirage motel room. It felt like it had been so long without her, everything seemed so distant, and he could barely pull up the image of her face as it had been before that horrible night. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out the stack of pictures Fez had given him. Jackie in a sun dress. Jackie in her favorite winter coat. Jackie sitting on his lap, smiling down at him as he looked into her mismatched eyes. The love she had for him was written all over her face, and the rush of emotion he felt was suddenly too much. He was about to throw the stack onto the coffee table, next to Miss Z, when Jackie's image, her donning her favorite sun dress, began to move before his eyes. Her bright smile seemed to grow in a giggle and Hyde found himself unable to look away as she stirred again, blowing him a playful kiss while a warm summer wind lifted the dark tresses from her bare, tanned shoulders. "_I love you, Steven," _he heard her whisper.

"Holy Shit." Barely able to form another coherent word, Hyde turned his head, his vision trailing multi-colored, lingering threads of light before settling and eventually finding focus on Miss Z. "Did you hear her, too?" The rabbit simply stared back at him, knowingly, as if holding a secret she was unable to articulate. "You did, didn't you? I'm_ not_ crazy."

In an attempt to reel in his sobriety and suddenly regretful of his decision to overdose himself with unidentified pills, Hyde stamped out his joint on a nearby ashtray and put his head in his hands. The realization was instantaneous: he was high, and not that familiar high that weed provided; this was different. This was life suspended. Suddenly very aware of himself, Hyde curiously ran his hands down his cheeks, taking pleasure in every nuance of sensation that his fingertips were creating. It was as if every nerve-ending in his body had finally come alive, sparked by the simplest stimulus: the cool air of the basement. His entire being was ignited with tingles; even his dick was growing stiff as he sat back in his chair and grinned at his only friend. "Man, Miss Z…I can't even…Jackie must've been…" Locked in his own mind, yet more aware than ever of the world outside himself, Hyde could swear he heard music, and it was getting louder. He frowned at his pet. "I don't remember putting on Floyd."

"_Hello…Hello…Hello…"_ Swearing he saw the rabbit's tiny pink lips move, Hyde leaned in for a closer look.

"Miss Z?"

"_Is there anybody in there?" _Wide eyed, Hyde sat up. Fuck, it _was_ her; the little fur ball was actually singing to him. "_Just nod if you can hear me." _He gave her two quick, terrified, nods.

Tiny lips, surrounded by white fur, continued to move in a decidedly non-rabbit-like way as Hyde gawked stupidly, his horror lessening with each twitch of the bunny's nose._ "Is there anyone at home?" _

In complete awe, Hyde nodded again, slower this time.

_"Come on, now, I hear you're feeling down," _Miss Z explained as she serenaded one-half of all who loved her in the world._ "Well I can ease your pain. Get you on your feet again." _

"Holy shit," he muttered to himself. "Miss Z, your voice is so…_deep_ for such a…little girl."

_"Relax," _Miss Z continued,_ "I'll need some information first."_

The furry quadruped was sounding suspiciously like David Gilmore to Hyde's highly sensitive ears. "Reeeeeally deep," he elaborated.

_"Just the basic facts. Can you show me where it hurts?" _Figuring it rude not to answer her question, Hyde pointed to his chest and suddenly sneezed.

When he re-opened his eyes, the music was still going but Miss Z seemed to have lost her drive to sing. Or had she been singing at all? Was he crazy, Hyde wondered, or was it the drugs?

Is this what Jackie had experienced?

Looking over at Miss Z again, he saw her curling forward into herself, sticking her head between her legs as her stomach seemed to quiver. She was going to give birth soon, he knew because of the research Jackie had insisted they do. Quickly and carefully, he carried her into his bedroom and set her in the special box he and Jackie had made for her birth, leaving her there as he walked back into the basement. Thoughts of baby bunnies turned his distorted mind to Jackie's baby bunny parade and the happy wedding they might have had together. God, how he missed her. He thought that at that moment, he would have given anything just to see her one more time, just to tell her how sorry he was for everything. Returning to his chair and burying his head back in his hands to cover his despair, Hyde was suddenly interrupted when the basement door swung open.

Jackie stepped over the threshold.

_There is no pain you are receding  
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.  
You are only coming through in waves.  
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying._

"Jackie…" He stared at her in awe, his eyes filling with tears again as he jumped up from his seat reached for her, needing to touch her. "I thought you were…I thought I…"

"Hyde, don't," she whispered as she backed away from him. He cringed at her used of his last name and the way she avoided his touch. Wiping away the wetness from his eyes he approached her again, determined to fix things…it seemed too good to be true that she was standing right in front of him, and he wasn't about to let this opportunity pass.

"Don't be like that, Jackie… Please… I'm so sorry for everything, baby," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jackie just stared at him suspiciously, her eyes full of hurt and maybe anger, but all Hyde could see was the way the light glistened on her hair, the way her silk shirt hugged her body like a second skin, the way her blue and green eyes looked impossibly big as she stared up at him.

"God, Jackie…I'm so sorry, I know it wasn't your fault…" His eyes darkened as his thoughts turned to Kasey, "I took care of him." She smiled slightly at that even as tears tracked down his cheeks. "Where have you been, baby?" he asked desperately, clutching her shoulders and staring into her eyes.

"I just had to leave for a while, Steven. I was just…" Jackie trailed off, but Hyde nodded his head in understanding.

"I'm so sorry Kitten, I missed you…I missed you so much…"

_When I was a child I had a fever  
My hands felt just like two balloons.  
Now I've got that feeling once again_

Unable to help himself, Hyde pulled Jackie into his arms, hugging her tightly as if to prove to himself that she was really there. Her body seemed to fit perfectly against his, just as it always had, and he ran his hands up and down her back before pulling away to look at her face. He ran his hands across her cheeks, pink now instead of the lifeless gray they had been in his dream. Her eyes were bright and vibrant instead of dead beneath him. Her nose was perfectly formed, not crushed by his mindless rage, and he instinctively leaned down to place a kiss in the tip before raining kisses over her whole face. Her skin was so warm and soft under his lips; his nerve endings tingled with pleasure that slid down his spine and seemed to lodge in his groin.

"Oh God, baby, I missed you so much," he muttered between kisses over her eyes and cheeks, "I was so fucking scared." His eyes kept leaking tears that he didn't notice until Jackie wiped them away gently.

"You hurt me, Steven," she whispered up at him, her own eyes filling with saline. "You hurt me so much…"

"I know. I was just so angry, Jackie, I couldn't control myself…I thought…I thought you had hurt me on purpose…and I wanted to hurt you, but I was wrong…I'm sorry…"

"What's wrong with you, Steven?" She cocked her head to the side as she took in his dilated pupils and slurred speech.

"I took the stuff Kasey gave you…" He saw Jackie's eyes widen with realization, and he remembered how she had sobbed to him that she wasn't feeling right. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm so sorry, Jackie." Rubbing his lips down her cheek, Hyde whispered, "I missed you so much," once more before he seemed to remember something. "Jackie…I…I killed him. It was an accident, but…I have to leave."

_I can't explain you would not understand_

_This is not how I am._

_I have become comfortably numb._

Jackie stared up at Hyde, clearly shocked at what she was hearing. "Steven, I don't think you're thinking straight… Everything is fine, okay? Everything is alright…" Carefully, Jackie pulled Hyde into a hug, letting him continue working over her face with kisses.

His lips moved up over her forehead to nuzzle in her hair as he continued whispering his apologies. The vanilla scent of her conditioner filled his senses, and he could feel each silky strand of her brunette hair as it slid across his face. Slowly, his comforting caresses became sensual as he moved his hands over the familiar curves of her body. Her skin felt like tingling liquid heat under his hands, and he found himself unable to stop touching her.

"I missed you so fucking much," he whispered against her head.

"It's alright…I'm right here, baby," she comforted him, stroking her own small hands over his back.

Pulling back from her hair, Hyde leaned in and kissed her hard, demandingly sweeping his tongue across her lips and into the warm cavern of her mouth. Jackie seemed hesitant at first, but when Hyde's hands swept down to her butt and pulled her body flush against his, she responded enthusiastically. Wasting no time, Hyde began to lead her back to his room, his lips never leaving hers as they walked. "I need you so bad, Jackie," he moaned into her mouth almost apologetically.

Once they were safely in his bedroom, Hyde stared at Jackie in awe as the glowing twinkle lights illuminated her form. With shaking hands, he began unbuttoning her purple shirt, revealing a lacy black bra to his hungry eyes.

"God, you're so beautiful," he whispered in her ear before pushing the shirt off her shoulders and trailing kisses down her throat, nipping at her flesh as his lips slid down. "You taste so fucking good, Jackie," he mumbled against her skin, licking a path down to the pale mounds poking out of her bra.

Slowly, he led her backwards to his bed, laying her down and crawling over her as he continued to work his lips over her covered breasts, ignoring the insane desire he had to strip her naked and feel every inch of her pressed up against him. Instead, he moved slowly, carefully, enjoying the sounds of her soft moans and the way her skin felt against his hands and mouth.

"Steven," Jackie moaned deliriously beneath him, arching her back to allow him to remove her bra, revealing her creamy flesh to his gaze. Rubbing his cheeks over the soft pillows, he felt his face tingle with pleasure as her nipples hardened against him. She gasped when his lips closed over one of her nipples, sucking forcefully at the hardened nub and causing tingling sensations to spread through her chest.

As his mouth moved against her breasts, the fear and anxiety of the past week seemed to melt away, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of comfort and pleasure. "God, Jackie, I missed you so fucking much," he whispered to her, never removing his mouth from the fleshy mounds.

"I missed you, too, Steven," she told him truthfully between moans of delight at his actions. He raised his eyes to hers at that, and a fresh onslaught of joyful tears worked their way to the front of his eyes, but he held them back as he stared down at the woman in his bed.

"Come with me," he asked her quietly. When he read confusion in her face, he clarified. "I have to leave… Chicago…maybe New York. Come with me." He sensed her hesitance, and it scared him to death. "Please, baby, I need you with me."

"Of course, Steven. Of course I'll go with you…" Jackie sounded unsure and worried about what was going on with Hyde, but all he knew was that she wasn't going to leave him, that she might have even forgiven him, and he felt nothing but happiness at that thought. He pulled her into a rough kiss, claiming her mouth thoroughly as he hovered over her half naked body, before beginning the slow trek of his lips down her body, this time past her breasts and to the waistband of her jeans.

"God, baby, you're so damn sexy," he whispered to her bellybutton as his hands quickly worked down her fly and pushed layers of denim and lace down her legs, throwing them carelessly to the floor. With little preamble, he dove towards the neatly trimmed mound between her legs, leaving only a soft bite on her upper thigh as he pushed her legs apart. A long slow lick, beginning at her wet core and ending just above her clit, made her writhe and moan against his mouth, and he could feel the vibrations of her pleasure quake through his own body.

He started a complicated rhythm of circles and exes over her clit that had Jackie bucking her hips against his face, searching for her elusive release.

"Oh God, Steven, more," she moaned as her jaw clenched tightly in anticipation of what was to come. Knowing how close she was to the edge, Hyde brought one hand up to slip two fingers into her wetness. She gasped in ecstasy as he coupled his attentions on her clit with the rough massage of his fingers in her tight channel. Every movement and sound she made seemed to travel down his spine to lodge in his groin, making him even harder and more desperate for his own release. He could never remember a time when giving oral sex had given him so much pleasure.

A skillful crook of his fingers sent Jackie flying apart in her orgasm, screaming and thrashing beneath him as wave after wave of orgasm overtook her, never stopping as Hyde continued to work at her with both fingers and tongue. The feeling of her muscle spasms against him and around him was too much for Hyde's nerves, made hypersensitive by the drugs, and soon he, too, was coming hard as he held her legs apart, not stopping his movements until they were both panting harshly on the small cot.

He rested his head just above Jackie's mound, still overwhelmed by the sensations that had just overtaken his body. It had been a long time since he had come in his jeans, but he found it hard to be embarrassed as his dick pressed into the cot, still hard and aching to feel Jackie on the inside. Moving with sudden urgency, Hyde pulled off his shirt, pausing to wipe off his mouth, and then kicked off his jeans, leaving himself nude and still hovering over the girl of his dreams.

"I need you right now, Jackie," he groaned, desperately hoping that she understood. She just smiled up at him softly, spreading her knees wider in silent invitation before pulling his head towards hers for a searing kiss.

Neither one of them noticed as Miss Z gave birth to her first bald baby, pushing him gently to the side of her warm nest, made especially for her by Hyde and Jackie.

_O.K.  
Just a little pinprick.  
There'll be no more aaaaaaaaah!  
But you may feel a little sick._

Hyde slid into Jackie's heat, making slow deliberate thrusts to bury himself within her, marveling at the way her muscles seemed to grasp at him. The sensation of being inside of her after so long, especially after so many days of horror and confusion, was like coming home.

"Oh God, Jackie," he moaned loudly when he was buried completely inside of her. He might have been content to simply enjoy the feeling of being with her so intimately, but as her arms and legs wrapped around him, bringing every part of their bodies into perfect contact, he began to thrust, his whole body inflamed with the feeling of her. His jaw clenched in delicious agony, and he dropped his head to her shoulder, breathing in her vanilla scent and holding back the inevitable conclusion of his deep plunges. The feeling of being inside her was familiar and perfect, but also new and exciting because of the events of the past weeks and the drugs coursing through his bloodstream.

_Can you stand up?  
I do believe it's working, good.  
That'll keep you going through the show  
Come on it's time to go. _

Jackie gasped loudly with pleasure as Hyde filled her, throwing her head back on the cot and exposing her neck to his hungry lips. "Oh, _Ste_-ven," she moaned deliriously as her hips moved upwards against his and her legs wrapped more tightly around him, pulling him further into her wet heat.

At the sound of his name, said with so much love, Hyde pulled his head away from Jackie's neck and stared into her eyes, trying to show her how much he cared for her.

"Jackie…" He whispered, amazed at how he could always read her emotions so clearly in her eyes. The blue and green pools seemed truly liquid under his intense gaze, constantly changing in size and even color as he watched in amazement. Unable to hold back any longer, he buried his hands in Jackie's dark brown hair, threading the silky strands through his fingers as he lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her lips as his hips began a faster, harder pace, driving them both to the brink of orgasm. "God, baby," he groaned against her mouth as she writhed beneath him, the first waves of her orgasm shuddering through her body. His eyes clenched shut with effort as his thrusts grew harder, faster, racing to completion.

It took him a moment to process that Jackie's delicious vanilla scent had faded, replaced with a disgustingly sweet, familiar floral smell. His eyes snapped open long enough to take in the long blond hair spread out over his pillow before clenching shut again in horror. When he opened them again, he was greeted by a familiar dark skinned woman.

"You still have that girlfriend?" She smirked up at him knowingly as she moved beneath him, but Hyde found that no matter how much he wanted to, the intense sensations made it impossible to pull away. Instead, he closed his eyes and thrust harder, telling himself again and again that he was high…that this was Jackie. The moans and gasps coming from underneath him were clearly the noises of that nurse, though, and he began to panic.

_There is no pain you are receding  
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.  
You are only coming through in waves.  
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying._

"Jackie?" he called her name, terrified, and was reassured when her voice answered him. When he finally worked up the nerve to open his eyes, he was relieved to see silky brown hair framing Jackie's beautiful face.

"Yes, Steven… Don't stop, baby!" Her shouts were desperate and wanting, and he leaned down to kiss her fiercely as he complied.

In her own warm spot, Miss Z's second baby was huddled into the corner of the nesting box, and Miss Z continued calmly with what she knew she had to do, comforted by the sounds of her two loving parents nearby.

_When I was a child  
I caught a fleeting glimpse  
Out of the corner of my eye. _

Hyde pulled away from Jackie's lips to catch his breath and found that he had in fact been kissing a vaguely familiar blond. Closing his eyes, he prayed that when he opened them, he would see Jackie again; his prayer wasn't answered.

"Who the fuck are you?" he screamed in frustration as he tried to summon the will to pull back, but the lure of tight warmth wrapped around him like a glove was too appealing.

"Oh, Hyde, baby, you know exactly who I am…" The woman smiled up at him, and her straight, brittle hair felt like straw between his fingers. "Yeah, fuck me just like that baby," she gasped as Hyde's hips continued to slam into hers at an ever increasing rate. "Harder, baby…harder!" she cried out as she guided his hands to massage her ample chest.

He didn't want to. Everything was strange and terrifying, and all he wanted was to pull away, but his whole body was tingling and aching with the need for release. All he could manage to do was close his eyes and pound into the blond harder.

"Fuck, Hyde!" she screamed out, her orgasm overtaking her. "Look at me!"

_I turned to look but it was gone  
I cannot put my finger on it now_

"Steven…look at me, Steven," Jackie's sweet voice cut through his nightmare, and when he opened his eyes, it was the brunette beauty who stared up at him.

"Jackie… God, baby…I don't…I think…" Jackie looked up into his dilated pupils with concern even as his hips kept a constant pace, thrusting against hers. "I need help, baby."

"My poor Steven… Everything will be alright… I love you baby," she whispered, bringing her hands up to tenderly cup his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to be able to say it back to her, but all he could do was close his eyes and revel in the sensation of her soft hands sliding over his face. When he opened his eyes, Jackie's silky brown hair had turned blonde and her small frame was taller and broader.

"Candie?" he screeched, horrified as the familiar blonde stared up at him.

"No, I'm Jackie, baby," she smiled widely at him, her blue eyes dancing with mocking laughter.

Frantically, Hyde's eyes roamed the room, looking for some evidence of Jackie, but where her silk shirt had been thrown lay a whorey pink tube top. "No! You're not Jackie!"

His eyes wandered to the chair near the foot of his bed, now filled by a familiar older redhead.

"Edna?" he asked. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Watching you screw up your life, Steven. I knew you'd end up with a whore." Laughing at her only son, Edna took a long drag of the cigarette in her hand. "You always were just like your father."

"NO! I'm not like Bud… I'm with Jackie!" Hyde screamed at his mother, but she was gone as quickly as she had come, replaced by the usual pile of dirty laundry.

"You're with _me_, now, baby… I _love_ you." Candie smirked up at him. "Fuck me harder, Hyde," she moaned loudly, laughing at the pained grimace that had taken over his features. "You know you don't wanna stop now, baby."

Hyde angrily complied with her demands, growing harder and rougher with each stroke, wanting to stop, but unable to pull away from the promise of release. As he slammed into her, filling his room with the sound of pained grunts and flesh slapping flesh, Candie threw her head back in pleasure as her orgasm peaked.

"Fuck, yes, Hyde!" she screamed loudly. The vision of the blond stripper where Jackie should have been drove him to rage, and he grabbed one of the fluffy pink throw pillows that Jackie had left on his cot and slammed it over the woman's face. With all evidence of his insanity covered up, Hyde continued to thrust roughly into Candie, finding it utterly impossible to stop. He pushed down harder on the pillow as the stripper struggled beneath him, and he drove into her with all the force he could manage. Finally, his body stiffened with release, and he threw his head back as he erupted inside of her.

"Jackie!" He called out the brunette's name as he came even as the blonde's thrashing ceased beneath him. Lifting the pillow off of her face, Hyde looked down at Candie's smashed features, eerily similar to Jackie's face that night in the motel. It hadn't been a dream, he knew. That had been real, and Jackie was gone. "God, Jackie," he whimpered quietly to himself as tears collected in his eyes. He rolled onto the floor, away from the dead body of the stripper, and curled into a naked ball, sobbing with fear and heartache.

_The child is grown,  
The dream is gone.  
I have become comfortably numb. _

Hyde pulled himself up from the floor, pausing to throw a few blankets over Candie's body. He reached for his jeans and began to pull them on, kicking aside the pink tube top and short shorts that lay in a heap next to the bed. He wanted to burn them; they were the confirmation that Jackie had never really come home to him. She was gone, for good, and now he wished for death, too. Maybe then he could be with her again. That's all he wanted anymore. And he might have assumed he was already dead if it weren't for the fresh stream of tears that tickled and warmed his cheeks as he stood in the middle of his cold room. Closing his eyes, Hyde pulled his Zeppelin t-shirt over his head, allowing the dizziness to consume his body without complaint. His mind still heavily under the influence, Hyde was slow to respond when his bedroom door flew open.

"Uh, Hyde, there's something…" As Hyde looked up, trails of colored light led him straight to his friend's morose faces. Both Kelso and Fez stood in his doorway, eyes full of pain, but Hyde felt numb to them, dead inside, as lifeless as the girl in his bed. He remained quiet as Kelso's brown eyes spoke to him—something was wrong. A quick glance over to Kelso's right revealed his other friend now sobbing uncontrollably; he had never seen Fez look so destroyed. The silence broken, Kelso shook his head apologetically. "Hyde, they…"

"It's her, isn't it?" Hyde choked out, already sure of the answer. But as Kelso's head fell, finally validating his fears, Hyde involuntarily erupted into sobs, never having experienced such a release, such anguish, not for anything, or anybody, ever.

His voice weak, Kelso stared at the floor while tears flowed freely down his face. "The girl they found…she was between 16 and 25, they said…five foot three…weighing about a hundred pounds…" Falling back onto his chair, where Edna had sat only minutes before, Hyde buried his head in his hands and listened in horror as pain—more proof of fucking life—masked his drug-induced intoxication. "…long, dark brown hair…pink nail polish…and her nose…" His face contorted from intense hurt, and Michael Kelso was forced to use the doorjamb to keep his body upright as he continued. "…and her nose was broken...Why...Why would you do that to her, Hyde?"

"I don't know," Hyde cried. "Fuck, I don't know."

"I'll tell you why, you son of a bitch," Fez howled, making a rush for Hyde, "Cause you're a selfish bastard!" Too slow and high to respond, Hyde could only flinch at the blow to his right cheek before Kelso intervened and yanked his foreign friend out of the room. "How could you think it was alright to hurt her like that? She loved you! I would've given anything to have her love me," Fez continued to scream outside of Hyde's room.

It was only upon Kelso's solitary return that the police officer noticed lifeless blue eyes staring at him from underneath a pink pillow, and then a delicate female hand peeking out from underneath Hyde's comforter. "What the hell?" Flipping back Hyde's covers, Kelso shook his head, beyond disappointed and saddened at the loss of one of his oldest friends. He knew that the Hyde he thought he knew was gone, far away somewhere with the young brunette who still loved him in his dreams. "Man," Kelso turned around, straightening himself up and grabbing his cuffs. "They sent me here to arrest you, Hyde. I told them you wouldn't fight me." Hyde nodded as he stared at his and Jackie's rabbit licking her babies clean, washing away all they had dreamed of together. She would have been so happy, annoying him with stories of baby bunny parades and endless discussions about bunny names. He would have given anything to hear it, to lay warm and naked with her and listen to every single word that fell from her lips. As Kelso approached him, Hyde stood up and turned around, placing his hands behind his back. Gently cuffing his best friend, Kelso nearly wept. "Steven Hyde, you're under arrest for the murder of Jacqueline Burkhart and Candace Tyler. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney…" Kelso's voice trailed off to Hyde's ears. 'For the murder of Jaqueline Burkhart' was all that resonated.

The suspect securely in custody, Kelso moved Hyde out of his room, where he found several police officers talking a sobbing Kitty and Fez. Red was nowhere to be found. They stopped in front of one of the officers, a captain, according to his stripes. "Sir," Kelso addressed the man, "I'm requesting a three day hold for him. I think he needs a psychiatric evaluation. His behavior is strange, he's nearly catatonic, and his pupils are fully dilated." Hyde stared straight ahead, unblinking and ignoring the pain of direct light in his eyes. The captain lowered his flashlight.

"He's on something."

"Still, I'm signing a three-day hold sir," Kelso insisted, knowing there was nothing his superior could do about it.

"Whatever, Officer Kelso. It's your call."

Gripping Hyde's arm, Kelso pulled him out of the basement. On his way out, Hyde chose to ignore the sorrowful sounds of his adoptive mother crying out to him. There was only so much he had left; her pain was too much to add to his already destroyed psyche. "That's all I'm doing for you, Hyde. Cause you used to be my friend," he heard Kelso whisper in his ear as he was lowered into the police cruiser.

Hyde wasn't sure how long they had been driving, maybe half an hour or so, when he had a thought. "Hey Kelso?"

"What is it, man?"

"Are they sure it's her?"

"Well, no. But I guess the body fits her description. They're just waiting for Pam to identify her. It's Jackie, Hyde." Nodding his head in understanding, Hyde leaned his head against the cold window that jailed him, watching the world pass him by in a colorful pattern of swirls and bright tracks of light. When the car stopped, blocked by a large iron gate, his vision cleared enough to focus on the foreboding gray building up on a hill. Looking over, Hyde quickly noticed a large sign with gothic block letters reading Wisconsin State Mental Hospital and sighed. Throughout his life, people had labeled him a loser, a criminal, white trash; they thought he'd end up in jail. They weren't too far off.

The pain and horror of losing Jackie and being abandoned by his friends collided with the drugs in his system, and Hyde could feel himself slowly losing consciousness, but not before a deep belly laugh seemed to bubble through his body, leaving him shaking manically in the backseat of the cruiser. He vaguely saw Kelso and the other cop look strangely back at him and then at each other before he completely passed out.

* * *

**A/N 2: Reviews are better than Naked Hyde reading our fanfic to you in your bed! Let us know what you thought… Where do you think we're going with this? How freakin' pissed are you? We want to know! **


	11. Brain Damage&Eclipse

**A/N: **Alright, second time out on the field. Despite the fact that there have been many wonderful expressions of both support and critique, there have also been a few extremely unpleasant comments lately…reviews that we found seriously upsetting and unhelpful. We have sat by and taken the abuse, and now, it's our turn: if you're one of our readers hate it THAT much, then don't read. It's a really simple solution. Seriously, there should never be a situation where you tell us in chapter 10 that you've hated it since chapter 1. That's ridiculous. We know…we know it's been confusing, we know you don't know why we've written it, we know our characters don't seem quite like themselves. We really meant what we said about shooting for the "most original story ever." This is more than a dark comedy or a smut story, and hopefully it will all make sense after this chapter. He's almost ready…

(Oh, and we had to fib a bit to keep you reading this far, sorry.)

* * *

**Previously: **

The pain and horror of losing Jackie and being abandoned by his friends collided with the drugs in his system, and Hyde could feel himself slowly losing consciousness, but not before a deep belly laugh seemed to bubble through his body, leaving him shaking manically in the backseat of the cruiser. He vaguely saw Kelso and the other cop look strangely back at him and then at each other before he completely passed out.

* * *

**Brain Damage/Eclipse**

"_Alright Mr. Hyde…"_

"_It's just Hyde."_

"_Okay…Hyde," the admitting nurse said, correcting herself. "You know, how about I just call you Steven?"_

"_Whatever. I don't care." Depressed to the point of indolence, Hyde slouched down in his chair as his admitting nurse, Rachel, took his vital signs and put his chart together. _

"_I'm gonna need your belt," she informed him casually._

_Hyde scoffed. "Why? I'm not gonna fucking kill myself."_

"_Well, no. You're not on suicide watch, but a lot of patients here are…so I'm gonna need it."_

"_Fine," he grumbled. Loose pants were the least of his fucking problems anyway so in one slick movement, Hyde pulled off his belt, handing it glibly to the blond. "Anything else you wanna take from me?"_

"_No," she answered flatly, unaffected by his attitude. "We're done here. So let me just show you where your room is." She stood up, straightened her pink scrubs, and headed down the hallway behind Hyde, dumping his belt off in a locked closet along the way. He followed cautiously, praying for a room to himself. They might be adding one more murder to his charges if he was forced to deal with any of the nutjobs in this place. _

"_This is your room. You don't have a roommate yet, but that could change anytime. So just go ahead and settle in because group starts in twenty minutes."_

"_Group?"_

"_Yeah, while you are here, which may only be for three days, you are required to attend groups. Some are psychiatric based, some are just for fun. Like I think your next one is art, so that's not so bad…"_

"_Art?" Hyde interrupted, laughing. "No, no, no. See, I don't do art… unless it involves spray paint and the risk of prison."_

"_Well, this does, minus the spray paint," she said sarcastically, making Hyde's face fall. _

"_Crap." Rachel walked past him toward the door and turned around. _

"_Oh, and your doctor will be in later to conduct your first evaluation."_

"_Can't wait."_

_After settling in to his practically empty room, Hyde decided to explore his new home—his home for the next three days anyway. At the end of his particular hall was a dayroom and inside were the scattered bodies of other patients, lazily lying about and watching television. Hyde looked around and instantly decided that he hated them all._

"_Hi!" Out of nowhere, a shaky hand was thrust at his belly. "I'm Charlie!" Sneering at the oddly cheery dumb ass, Hyde stepped around, only to be followed. "So what are you in here for?" Charlie continued as he tailed Hyde._

"_For killing some douche bag who wouldn't stop following me," he growled menacingly._

"_Really? Wow, I'm in here cause my ex-girlfriend is trying to get rid of me."_

"_Gee, I can't imagine why," Hyde poked as he continued to walk, making his way out of an open door that led to a small cemented courtyard outside. Deflating his spirits instantly was a sixteen foot high fence surrounding the perimeter. Barbed-wire coiled over the top, locking him inside._

"_Oh, so you smoke, too," Charlie concluded excitedly. "Thank God, cause sometimes I sit out here by myself and it gets really boring. But there is this cat that comes around and talks to me; he keeps me company. I named him Fluffy."_

_Hyde turned around to face Charlie. "Stop talking."_

"_Okay," Charlie agreed, smiling and pulling out a pack of Lucky Strikes. Hyde snatched them away and took a cigarette, shoving the pack into his pocket. _

"_So you got a light?" _

_Charlie laughed. "Oh no, we're not allowed to have lighters in here. That would be crazy."_

"_Crazy like talking to a cat crazy?" Hyde asked flatly as he glared at the moron._

_Charlie nodded spiritedly. "Yeah!" Hyde shook his head and although he didn't smoke, a cigarette would have been a nice vice to replace his usual one. He sighed as his new 'friend' continued. "But Sammy will light it for you," Charlie explained pointing to the large Samoan mental health worker who stood menacingly in the corner. "Sammy's real nice. He likes me. Don't ya, Sammy?"_

_Sammy smiled. "That's right buddy." Strolling over the 300 pound beef-eater, Hyde nodded for a light, receiving one instantly. "You better hurry, you've got group in two minutes."_

"_Yeah, I'm not going," Hyde replied, grinning upon the large man's raised eyebrows. _

"_Steven!" Nurse Rachel called out, "It's your turn to see the doctor." Hyde's grin grew as he stomped out his cigarette at Sammy's feet. _

"_See."_

_A little while later…_

"_No fucking way!" Hyde yelled. "I'm not drinking that shit! So you can just tell Doctor Stink Breath in there that he can bite me, cause I'm not doin' it!"_

_The medication nurse glared at him. "Mr. Hyde, if you're going to refuse your meds by mouth, then I will be forced to administer them another way."_

_Hyde smiled wickedly. "Well then, lots of luck to you, Nurse Ratched, cause I'm NOT fucking taking them, and you can't make me! I happen to know that! I'm not one of these crazy fuck morons in here! I know! I know all about my rights!"_

"_You lost those rights the minute you got arrested and put on a psychiatric hold by the police." Hyde's eyes narrowed at her. _

"_Fuck you, lady. You're gonna have to get ten Sammys in here to get that shit in me."_

"_Fine. I can have that arranged," the older woman said calmly._

"_Whatever," Hyde grumbled, heading back into the dayroom. He sat down on one of the couches and watched television for a while until the rest of the patients began to file in; group time was obviously over. All of their doped up faces and hands were speckled with green and red paint and Hyde shook his head. There was no way in hell he would allow himself to be turned into one of those zombies. He didn't need help. He needed to go home and find Jackie because he just knew that it wasn't her they found. Even with all of his nightmares, something told him that she was close; he could sense her. _

"_Hey Hyde!" Charlie screeched, plopping down beside him. "You missed a great group! We painted Styrofoam rocks!"_

"_Oh, darn it!" Hyde said, snapping his fingers as he got to his feet and pointed sternly at Charlie. "Look, Opie…"_

"_Charlie."_

"_Whatever… I'm going to my room right now and if you follow me, I'm gonna be forced to kick your ass. Got it?" Charlie nodded his understanding as Hyde walked away._

"_Okay… I'll just see ya at dinner then! …You could sit at my table!" Charlie called after Hyde's disappearing form. "It's Swedish Meatball night!" _

* * *

_Hyde returned to his room, no longer able to tolerate the ridiculousness of the unit's milieu, and dropped his body, face first, over his pathetic excuse for a bed. The safety of the cold space was the only familiar place he could find. It reminded him of his dank basement room, furnished with 'crappy bed' and all. The only activity he could manage was to lie there and think about how warm she had made his room back home, branding it with her version of comfort: fluffy pink things that he ended up digging thoroughly. She had made his world comfortable and loving. All the things she was, she had gifted to him._

"_Steven?" Hyde lifted his head to find the nurse who had admitted him, Rachel, standing in his doorway holding a rabbit's cage. "Uh, some little drunk lady dropped this off," she said, shaking her head in confusion, "she was bawling and said that you would need it." From her enclosure, Miss Z stared back at him pitifully, five babies curled beside her now slimmer body. Hyde jumped to his feet and grabbed the cage, smiling weakly at his pet. _

"_Thanks…Do I um, you know, get to keep her?"_

_Nurse Rachel only offered him a stern expression. "Look. You're not allowed to have pets, and you can't keep this one, but as long as the other patients don't take notice, I think it's alright to let you have her for a few days until you find her a home…As long as you don't act out!" she added, pointing a scolding finger at Hyde._

_Hyde shook his head fiercely. "No. I'm not gonna. I swear."_

"_Okay…she's adorable by the way," the nurse cooed with a sweet smile for the white bunny and her small, furry family. "I'll be back to check on you later." She walked out while Hyde set Miss Z down on his bed and lay down beside her. _

"_Nice going, Miss Z," he complemented her, admiring the results of her efforts, his thoughts automatically returning to Jackie. He wished she could have seen them. She would have loved the tiny rabbits like her own children, the ones she would never have now, because of him. "Jackie would have dug them," he told the mother of five, "The girls, and probably even the boys, would have, for sure, been dressed up like idiots by now," he teased sadly, choking on his own words. "God, she was crazy like that."_

"_She wasn't crazy, you were! You…You… jerk!" His face twisting in revulsion, Hyde glanced over to find Fluffycakes staring up at him from the floor, his furry little face, usually smiling gleefully, was now …glaring?_

"_What the hell?" Hyde muttered._

"_I loved her, you jerk! She wasn't just yours! She was mine and you gave her away! Did you think it was alright to just abandon her like that?"_

_A few moments passed during which Hyde refused to converse with the angry unicorn. There was no way he was getting sucked into his own madness again. Maybe he should have taken his meds, he thought to himself. This was crazy._

"_No. YOU'RE crazy! She loved you, and all you did was make her cry! … I hate you!" the doll continued to cry out. "You never loved her, so quit pretending you did!" Hyde ignored the outburst and closed his eyes._

"_It's not real. It's not real," he told himself repeatedly._

"_Well SHE was real, Hyde, SHE was wonderful," Fluffycakes sadly reminded him, his tiny, tearful voice cutting through Hyde like a jagged knife. "She took care of me…and you, even though you didn't deserve it." _

"_Leave him alone," Miss Z interrupted, defending her owner. "He loved her, he just made a mistake."_

_Hyde opened his eyes at the female voice, soothing and comforting and sounding remarkably like Mrs. Forman. "Oh Jesus Christ, help me," he muttered, tucking his head beneath his shoddy hospital pillow. _

"_Don't you dare hide from me," Fluffycakes continued, his voice getting closer, so close, in fact, that Hyde was afraid to peek. "Look at me!" Hyde did and found the doll on his bed, looking at him with righteous anger and a sadness that he'd never seen the large white unicorn's man-made face ever bear. "I loved her."_

"_I did, too," Hyde admitted._

"_Then why? Why would you think it was alright to hurt her like that?"_

"_I don't know. I didn't know I hurt her that much. Maybe she's still okay."_

"_Well she's not. So just explain something to me, Hyde …When you realized that you DID hurt her, why didn't you fix it? Why didn't you make it better for her?"_

"_Because he couldn't," Miss Z answered quietly. "He wanted to, but he just… couldn't."_

"_That's such a load of crap, rabbit. He could've made it better but he was weak and afraid! He didn't love her!"_

"_Shut-up, I did…I still do," Hyde mumbled, shaking his head and staring at his guilty hands, wondering when exactly it was that he had lost touch with reality, when it was that he had lost himself. _

The lunatic is in the hall.  
The lunatics are in my hall.

_Hyde closed his eyes against the angry unicorn as music seemed to fill his small room. "Just shut-up,' he yelled, not sure whether he was talking to Fluffycakes or the singing._

"_NO. I won't! No one else is defending her! YOU should have been the one who defended her! You! It was YOUR job, she was YOUR responsibility and you abandoned her like trash! Well, she wasn't trash; she was beautiful! And you left her to die when all she ever did was love you with all her heart! You're worthless, Hyde!"_

_Sitting up, Hyde knocked the unicorn to the floor. "Shut the fuck up, Fluffycakes!" He fell back on his bed, dismayed that the fucking stuffed doll had it all so right. He HAD abandoned her when she needed him most, something she would have never done to him. _

_Never. _

"_She would have disintegrated for you, Hyde; and she did, a million times. I was there. She would cry against me at night, calling your name, and begging for a word from you, any word, just letting her know that you loved her. But you never did…You were so selfish…God, I hate you …" Fluffycakes' voice disappeared into the fray of Hyde's dismantled mind, leaving only absolute truth behind for him to choke on, probably the doll's intentions. Fucking Fluffycakes._

"_I said shut the fuck up, you fucking unicorn!"_ _Hyde screamed at the voice echoing in his head; his angry yell rang through the ward. It especially startled Eric Forman, who was standing on the other side of Hyde's door with Rachel the nurse. _

And if the dam breaks open many years too soon  
And if there is no room upon the hill

"_Hyde, man?" he asked quietly as he pushed open the door, purposefully ignoring Rachel's plea to stay out. "Hyde, are you alright?"_

_Raising his head from where he had buried it in the pillow again, Hyde stared at his skinny friend. "Do you hear that Floyd, man?" he asked, craning his ear towards a guitar riff that only he could hear. Rachel stood near the open door as Eric walked inside, prepared to step in if Hyde became violent for any reason. _

"_No… Hyde, I heard what happened," Eric began, unsure of how to finish. _

"_Forman," Hyde addressed his friend, seemingly focusing on him for the first time. "I thought you were gone." _

"_I was, Hyde. I had to come back." _

"_This is your fault, you know," Hyde informed him matter-of-factly. "If you had been here…" _

"_Hyde, I'm sorry man," Eric whispered, staring into the face of the man he loved like a brother. _

"_Why did you leave…really?" Hyde asked, cocking his head to the side as Eric looked at him nervously. _

And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too  
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

"_I thought I was doing the right thing, you know? I was so sure. I was so sure…I thought it was the best thing for Donna and me…and maybe it was, you know? But now I've had more time to think about it, and I just don't know, man. I wasn't just leaving Donna; I was leaving my friends, too. I'm so sorry, Hyde." Eric was crying slightly as he took in the sight of his best friend, completely destroyed and blaming him for everything. "I think maybe Red's been right all along." Hyde didn't seem to get the joke, so Eric elaborated. "I'm a dumb ass." _

"_I'm really sorry about what happened with me and Donna," Hyde blurted, burying his head in his hands again. "I was so mad…and scared…and drunk. I just…" He looked to be on the verge of tears, so Eric jumped in, scared by his tough friend's behavior. _

"_Hey…that's not…that's not important right now, Hyde. Come on, man…" _

"_Why weren't you there, Forman?" Hyde screamed the question at his friend, jumping up from his bed to pace the room angrily. "Maybe I still would have screwed up a little…but it wouldn't have been that bad! You would have kept me away from the fucking stripper! I could have talked to you instead of running off to ruin everything with a blond whore! And then you wouldn't have let me make it even worse…" _

"_Hyde," Eric tried to capture his friend's attention, "everyone's here to see you…" _

"_Jackie?" His eyes lit up hopefully as he questioned his friend. "Is Jackie here? Did they find her? Is she okay?" Eric's face fell at his friend's questions, and he had to look away from Hyde's expectant face as he spoke. _

The lunatic is in my head  
The lunatic is in my head

"_They found her Hyde." His voice was broken and sad. "Pam identified the body today…the autopsy showed that she suffocated." _

"_No…" His hopeful expression slowly melted as the reality of Jackie's death sunk in._

"_Everything is gonna be okay. Red got you a lawyer, and Hyde, everyone is here to see you." _

"_I don't give a FUCK about everyone!" he screamed, picking up Fluffycakes and throwing the ragged animal against the wall. Eric backed towards the door as Hyde became violent, ripping apart his room, and Rachel quietly called for help. "Stop fucking telling me that everything's alright! I killed her, and it's not fucking alright!" _

_Hyde was bloodying his knuckles on the wall when five large men ran into the room, tackling him to the ground before he had a chance to hurt himself or someone else. He was trapped on the floor while Nurse Rachel stood over him, carrying a large syringe as she spoke in a soothing voice. Hyde couldn't understand a word she said as she slid the needle into his arm and then continued speaking as the world went black._

You raise the blade, you make the change  
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.

* * *

"_Do you think he's gonna be alright in here, Eric?" Kitty asked her son as several large men carried a barely conscious Hyde past the room where the gang was assembled. _

"_I'm sure he'll be fine…at least given the circumstances. He took the news about Jackie really hard, though." Everyone lowered their eyes as they tried to wrap their minds around everything that had happened in the last several weeks. _

"_I should have been a better friend to her…" Donna sighed to herself, remembering how quick she had been to sell Jackie out, how easy it had been to forget that they were supposed to be best friends. _

"_I shouldn't have left," Eric whispered, tears sliding down his cheeks as he looked over the family and friends that he had taken for granted. He stood awkwardly next to Donna wondering if anything would ever be happy again. _

"_I shouldn't have been so into the stripper," Kelso shook his head sadly, knowing that he had done his share to make this horrible situation what it was. He might have saved both Hyde's sanity and Candie's life if he had only thought with the head outside his pants. _

_Fez just sobbed quietly in the corner, heartbroken over the death of Jackie and the absence of Hyde, while Red and Kitty held each other tightly, watching as Hyde was placed into a small padded cell. _

* * *

_Some time later… _

You lock the door  
And throw away the key  
There's someone in my head but it's not me.

_As tainted blood, thick with anti-psychotic medications, sluggishly pumped through his veins, Hyde found himself artificially anesthetized from every emotion he should have been feeling. His features suggested near catatonia as he lay flat on his back, limbs spread wildly over the cold comfort of white padding. The only parts of him deliberately searching for outside stimulation were his wandering blue eyes as they scanned the water-stained ceiling, taking in every awkward shape. Then he heard it again, "Steven," whispered from nowhere in particular, deep from within his psyche, he guessed. Ever since he had entered the room, Jackie wouldn't leave him be; she was haunting him and he wished she would just let him go. It was driving him mad to hear her voice, to see her crying in the dark corner of the room, but to be unable to reach her. She wouldn't let go or maybe she couldn't. And as much as he didn't want to, Hyde knew he had to make her go home. Heaven had sent the girl to him, and now it wanted her back; who was he to question fate? "Steven," like a heartbeat pumping new life into him, echoed throughout the cold room once again, warming the air around him._

_Sensing her breath in his ear, Hyde listlessly rolled onto his right side and settled his gaze on her colorful eyes. Her tiny hands were tucked up beneath her cheek as she smiled at him with pure love. Looking over her body, lain sideways to face him, Hyde admired the deep valley of her side and the arch of her hips leading down to her thigh, every curve draped in white silk and lace. "God, you're beautiful," he whispered before suffering a thought. "Is it really you?" Her nod registered lethargically in his eyes, the drugs still robbing him of all feeling. _

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear  
You shout and no one seems to hear.

"_It's me, baby," she assured him. "Those other girls were cruel…and they won't be back unless you want them."_

"_I don't want them, Jackie, any of them. I swear to God." One of her hands slipped out from underneath her head to soothingly comb threw his hair. It WAS her; he could feel it. Her touch brought with it a sliver of lucidity, clearing his foggy mind. "Just you, Jackie," he whispered. _

_Jackie smiled sadly. "Then why, Steven? Why, baby? Please tell me." Hyde could only stare back at her; he had no answer. Why had he done it? He didn't know. Consoling his thoughts, Jackie's delicate fingers slithered around to the back of his head and gently twisted locks of his hair around themselves. Hyde nearly closed his eyes at the new sensation, but held eye contact, only breaking briefly to catch a glimpse of her lips, full and pink as they called to him. "Was it because you love her? That stripper?"_

And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes  
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

"_God, no," he replied desperately, sweeping his palm over her warm cheek, "You're the only…I've never…" His thoughts derailed and there was only one question left to ask, "Jackie, what happened with us?"_

_Smiling softly, Jackie watched her own fingers lovingly coil around his curls as she spoke. "You gave up, Steven."_

"_I didn't."_

"_You did…You never had faith…You refused to believe all the things I promised you." His eyes dancing from green to blue, Hyde could only look at her in wonder. She was right. He never believed, never trusted that she loved him. "You only saw what you wanted, Steven."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I mean that you saw me how you wanted to see me …and until you wake up, that's all you'll ever see." Hyde was confused as she continued. "I'm not going to come to you anymore, baby. If you want to be with me, you'll have to come find me."_

"_But I do want to be with you, I'm right here," he pleaded. "I want you, Jackie." Hyde rolled over her body and stared down at the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life. Her smile was infectious beneath him and her hair was spread around her head like a halo, making her look like an angel. "I've always wanted you," Hyde smiled warily, "even when I acted like I didn't."_

"_I know," she giggled. "You told me when we got back together." Hyde's brow furrowed in bewilderment, he couldn't remember saying that._

"_I did?"_

"_Yeah," she said, placing her hands over his cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss. "The same day we found out that we were going to be Godparents." Hyde closed his eyes at her kiss, soft and lingering, as a rush of sensations and emotions coursed through his chest, awakening him. _

"_Godparents," he repeated softly to himself, as he seemed to remember something. "Betsy."_

"_Mm-hmm," she confirmed. "Our Goddaughter." As if on cue, Jackie smiled at a hum of music as it floated freely throughout the small padded room. "Dance with me, Steven."_

All that you touch  
And all that you see

"_Jackie…Wait… Please…" He still wanted to make her explain herself, he was starting to remember things, strange things, but she had already slipped out from underneath him and was on her feet, her arm extended out to him. _

"_We probably won't be seeing each other anymore, Steven." Hyde got to his feet, too, and watched her smile exuberantly. "So just…dance with me, baby…Please," she whispered dreamily._

All that you taste  
All you feel.

"_Why won't we see each other?" Instead of answering, Jackie took his hand and placed it to her waist, just above her hip, and held the other to her chest as she drew him in, pressing her body intimately against his. "Jackie, stay with me."_

"_I can't."_

"_Why not?" _

"_Because…you wanted someone else, Steven…and it killed me inside." Hyde's eyes fell to her bare feet, shamed at hearing the words come out of her mouth. They had not discussed it until now. He had tried so hard to pretend it wasn't real, that he hadn't really done it. But he had and he had to face his mistake—face her._

And all that you love  
And all that you hate

"_Jackie…I'm so sorry," he nearly whispered as he buried his face into the soft crook of her neck. "I don't…I have …no excuse. I screwed up so bad, baby." As they danced, she soothed and hushed his faint sniffles, even after what he had done. After everything, she somehow still had the grace to love. "I don't deserve this, Jackie."_

"_Don't say that, baby. You deserve so much more than you'll ever know."_

"_I don't deserve your forgiveness…"_

"_Shh," Jackie hushed, lifting his head to make him see the truth in her eyes. "You already have it.." Overwhelmed, Hyde captured her lips, savoring the suppleness and taste of what he would never enjoy again. _

All you distrust  
All you save.

"_Baby…" Hyde pulled away. "Why? I don't get it. Why are you always forgiving me?"_

"_Because," she said simply. "I love you, Steven."_

"_I love you, too." He watched a peaceful smile become her as tears filled in her eyes. "I love you so much, Jackie." _

And all that you give  
And all that you deal

"_Thank you, Steven," she whispered, taking hold of his cheeks and bringing their mouths together for a deep kiss that was clouded and steeped in love. Hyde couldn't believe he had given this up willingly. Reveling in her soft lips as they moved so amorously and languidly against his, Hyde's only thought was that he wanted to go with her, wherever she was going. And if being with her meant the end of the fucked up world that she had left behind, left him alone in, then so be it. This bliss was worth his death. "I can go now, Steven."_

"_No, Why?"_

And all that you buy  
beg, borrow or steal

"_Because I got what I needed, Steven. All I ever wanted was to know that you loved me. All of it, everything I ever did, all those fights, my ultimatum… I just wanted to know that you loved me. It was all you ever had to say so… thank you," she whispered, giving him a sweet smile. "I love you, too." With that, Jackie closed her eyes and Hyde felt her legs stop moving beneath them as she collapsed in his arms._

"_No, Jackie, wait, take me with you. Please don't leave me here. I wanna be with you. I love you… Please."_

_Hyde lowered her listless body to the floor and laid her down amidst the white fluff of her wedding gown. Lying on top of her dying form, he kissed her lips and felt her last breath save his soul. "I'll be with you soon, baby…" _

And all you create  
And all you destroy  
_And all that you do  
And all that you say_

Hyde woke with a start on his basement cot as Roger Waters's voice radiated the lyrics of 'Eclipse' from the small radio near his bed. He could hear Kelso and Fez laughing and listening to 'The Wall' in the outer room of the basement, enjoying some private joke between themselves. Looking around the room, lit only by his pink twinkle lights, he breathed a sigh of relief: it had been a dream. God, one hell of a crazy nightmare, too. While his head was still full of bizarre images and false memories, he looked across his room to the chair in the corner and was filled with a feeling of dread as he saw a blond woman curled into it.

_And all that you eat  
And everyone you meet_

"What are you doing?" he was getting nervous as he looked around the room, trying to gather his bearings from the crazy dream.

"Just listening to the radio, Hyde. I mean, I'm not that big a Floyd fan, but it's nothing to get upset about." She rearranged herself on the chair, turning to face him. Her pink tube top looked eerily familiar, and as she gazed up at him with cold blue eyes, the awful reality of the past few weeks came crashing down. The hotel room in Chicago…Jackie and Kelso…Vegas…the strip club…getting married…Jackie's horrified face when she had found out…knowing he had fucked everything up beyond repair…the lingering feeling that he had hurt her—killed some part of her.

_And all that you slight  
And everyone you fight_

"Baby, that must have been some dream you were having," Sam's voice screeched through his brain like nails on a chalk board. "During that first song, you looked really happy, but then it just looked like a nightmare, and I couldn't wake you up!"

_And all that is now  
And all that is gone _

As the song crescendoed to its conclusion, Hyde swung his feet down to the floor and sat on his cot with his head in his hands. He remembered falling into a fitful sleep earlier that evening as Sam had flipped on the radio, the crazy events of the past few weeks still swirling through his head. He was fucking _married. _So he really _had_ fucked everything up with Jackie. And he hadn't even proposed to her. It had _ALL_ been a dream, he realized, a crazy dream beginning from the precious memory of Jackie looking so fucking beautiful in that wedding dress.

_And all that's to come  
And everything under the sun is in tune  
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon…_

"This is Hot Donna," the radio announced, "and that was the complete 'Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd, part of our Floyd tribute. The band just released their new album 'The Wall' this week. If you haven't already, run out and pick it up, it's…" Hyde stood from the bed and snapped off the radio before turning back to his wife…

To Be Continued.

* * *

**A/N2:** What, did you think we were…miracle workers? 

We've squished our last three chapters into two, so hopefully you'll be happy to know that there is only ONE chapter left.

Firstly, we'd like to say to the people who noticed, that yes, it was indeed important that in _every single_ chapter, someone asked Hyde whether he thought something was alright. (Y'all get a gold star.) Secondly, all chapter titles have been from Dark Side of the Moon, and if you read carefully, you might have noticed lyrics and references sprinkled in, slowly becoming more obvious as the dream progressed. Lastly, yeah, this story has been our lovely way of dealing with Season 8 and the Season 8 Hyde… we hope everyone can see that it wasn't _so _veryweird that Jackie slept with a Kelso; Eric left; Donna was a back-stabbing, Jackie-hating bitch; a blond, beer fetching, tube top wearing stripper was around and fucking Hyde; and Hyde was an ass who screwed up everything with Jackie beyond repair and did something to seriously hurt her. If you were to reread, we believe you would see it, and if you choose to stick around for the last chapter, things will perhaps come into focus (like Miss Z).

This is normally where we'd tell you that reviews are better than Naked Hyde dancing to ABBA, but the truth of the matter is that this is a very personal story for us, filled with references and things we've deigned to call "clues" that probably wouldn't be noticeable without a second read-through. We're really happy with how our story has gone, and that's what's most important to us. If you haven't enjoyed it, there are no hard feelings, because really…we wrote this for ourselves: part fixing what went wrong, part commentary on what happened in season 8, part just being fun, silly people who thought maybe others would feel the same catharsis we do as Hyde comes to terms with what a colossal jackass he became. Plus, we freakin' _love_ the Floyd. :)


	12. Yeah, It's Gonna Be Alright

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who trusted us enough to stick around. You guys were great. We hope this story can be included amongst those that have helped chip away at the dried up piece of crap that we call season 8. This was our contribution, strange as it was. And look for us again in December with something new and even stranger than this, although no one dies and no one shall dream. Hehe. Thanks again, enjoy the finale.

P.S. This one's for Jackie...

* * *

**Previously: **

"This is Hot Donna," the radio announced, "and that was the complete 'Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd, part of our Floyd tribute. The band just released their new album 'The Wall' this week. If you haven't already, run out and pick it up, it's…" Hyde stood from the bed and snapped off the radio before turning back to his wife…

* * *

**Yeah, It's Gonna Be Alright**

Steven Hyde stared at his wife in horror, finding himself unable to move. His _wife_…Samantha. The woman who had taken Jackie's place. So he _had_ hurt Jackie after all and killed everything they had had together. Half listening to Sam babble on, he heard about how he had twitched and moaned as he slept, but all he could think was that this woman didn't belong here.

Sitting back down on his bed, Hyde was taken aback at how groggy he felt. The nightmare he had experienced was still buzzing at the front of his mind, influencing and haunting his thoughts so much that he could not shake the feeling of dread that had tortured him so powerfully. But he could still hear Jackie's voice, echoing whispers of love and forgiveness to his subconscious and he could still feel her soft hair on his skin, her body enveloping his as he sat on his bed and tried to figure out why in the hell this was happening. Earlier that day, he had gone to the mall with Fez and Kelso in search of chicks, and their words seemed to haunt him now…

* * *

_"I talked to Eric today," Fez smiled happily, pulling a Dum Dum out of his mouth. "He loves Africa, and I do not think he wants to come back." His smile fell. "He says he might break up with Donna because he has to 'find' himself over there." He began to pout. "Ai…I miss Eric. Nothing is the same without him around." _

_"I dunno man," Kelso responded gleefully. "Single Donna and a tube top-wearing stripper around 24/7? That doesn't seem so bad to me!" He smiled goofily before snagging some of Fez's candy. _

_"I am tired of the stripper!" Fez exclaimed, seeming almost surprised by his own words. "She's a stupid whore and if Eric was here…" Fez trailed off and looked bashfully at Hyde. "Sorry," he whispered. Hyde just shrugged his shoulders, feigning nonchalance as his wife was insulted. The truth of the matter was that he still wasn't sure how to wrap his head around being married. After all, it had only been a few weeks. But everyone just seemed to accept his stripper wife. Kitty and Donna were friendly with her. Kelso and Fez thought she was hot. If Eric was around…well, some part of him knew that Eric would convince him to send the blond girl packing, and he couldn't decide whether or not he liked that idea. After all, by this point, he had fucked things up beyond repair with Jackie. He might as well stick with the stripper. _

_"Oh, awesome man!" Kelso called out. "The new Floyd album is out. It's supposed to be super cool. Let's go buy it!"_

_"I own a fucking record store, moron," Hyde shook his head at his idiotic friend._

_"Yeah, well THIS store lets you enter a contest for Zeppelin tickets when you buy 'The Wall!' How cool is that?" The three walked into the record store, discussion of strippers forgotten as they looked over the music… _

* * *

Closing his eyes, Hyde thought about how much he still felt for Jackie. The anger of seeing her with Kelso in Chicago had worn off weeks before and all that was left was his sinful pride, keeping him from admitting to himself that he still wanted her. God, how had he managed to forget how happy he had been with her? Happy. Not just 'less pissed off' or whatever he had said. But fucking _happy_. And he had thrown it all away in favor of the path of least resistance: staying married to a fucking stripper rather than apologizing to the girl he loved—treating her like shit rather than just admitting that he had fucked up. He remembered Jackie's words in his dream. She had forgiven him…did that mean she would forgive him in reality? Was any of it really possible? 

A few feet away, Samantha Hyde was still rambling in her seat, going on about how she had kept herself busy while he had dreamt of the girl he really wanted. And he knew it now. Jackie was the one he wanted. Maybe he had always known it but had been too stubborn to admit it to himself. And now, on this Saturday afternoon, after having practically felt her body in his arms, seen her smile again, naked and warm beneath him, he wanted it all back.

In an act of spontaneity, Hyde looked up, taking his first baby step toward making things right again. "Sam."

Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry as she continued to drone on. "…and then like five minutes ago you yelled at me to shut the fuck up and called me Fluffycakes. It was so weird. But cute. I think I like it. You can…"

Taking a deep breath, Hyde tried again, louder this time. "Sam!"

"What?" she finally acknowledged, looking up at him expectantly. "What's up, baby?"

Staring at her, so out of place in his room, he felt somewhat bad for what he was about to do. It really wasn't her fault. She had never known Jackie even existed, never known, or asked, why he was so detached on the night they had met. This fucked up mess was all his doing. "I think…" Hyde rubbed his chin, unsure of how to articulate what it was he wanted to say. "I think maybe… it's time you headed back to Vegas."

She instantly stood and approached him. "What? Hyde, what's wrong?"

"Look, Sam. I made a mistake, okay, and I don't know exactly what to do about it but… I do know that you can't be here anymore. It was a mistake letting you stay. Everything. Vegas. All of it… it was a mistake."

"Hyde, what…what are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Nothing. I don't know. I just," His gaze still bleary from sleep, Hyde buried his face in his hands and tried to shake the intense emotions that his dream had uncovered. All of it had felt so tangible, so real, and it still did as he looked up at his wife. "I want my life back, Sam."

Her blue eyes glistened with fear and confusion, begging him to stop. "But, why didn't you …you should've just told me to leave when…"

"You're right. I should've. Look, it's nothing personal. I just…" Hyde stood up to face her. "Come on, this was a mistake and you know it. I… Damn it. Here." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet and handed Sam its contents: a little over a hundred dollars. "Will this help? Get you a hotel and get you back to Vegas? I...I really need you to leave," he said insistently while his eyes bore into hers, conveying his earnestness. "Just… Today, Samantha. If you give a shit about me at all, you'll just go. Please."

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, ok. I just wish you would've just said something sooner, Hyde. I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Look. I'll get a lawyer or something, I don't know. Just call me and I'll let you know…"

"Well…actually," Sam interjected, smiling and feigning innocence, as she tried her best to salvage their rapidly failing relationship. "See…we're not _exactly_…_technically _married."

Hyde grimaced. "What?"

"Well, I'm sort of…already married," she said, cringing and watching nervously as Hyde frowned back at her in bewilderment. "But we're separated," she added hopefully.

Hyde stared at her, completely indignant. "Then why…"

"Because…I like you," she confessed quietly, lowering her head, "and we did get married that night. We're just not _technically_ husband and wife, but I still think we can …"

"Sam," Hyde scoffed gently, shaking his head, unable to believe that he gave away the only girl he ever loved, to ever love him…for this. "I think it's time for you to leave," he told her, indifferent as her eyes fell dejectedly to the floor.

"Fine," she conceded and immediately began to pack her things as Hyde left the room, wearily taking a seat out in the basement. At least he wasn't like Bud, abandoning a wife. He had no wife. Thank fucking God. Kelso and Fez turned from their seat on the couch, where they had been loudly arguing the merits of gummy candy versus hard candy, to watch their friend sulk down into his chair.

Unmindful of their stares, Hyde closed his eyes and wondered how he had let things come to this point: three people's lives fucked up beyond recognition, all because of his anger and mistrust. Like a gravitational force, those misguided emotions had pulled him away from home and led him to the city of sin, where he had somehow lost himself in the madness. He couldn't help but imagine that all of it could have been avoided with one solitary word: Stay.

"Uh, _hello!_" His thoughts disrupted, Hyde looked up at Kelso, who waited expectantly for something. "What's up, man? You said you'd only be a minute. We listened to the whole album waiting for you! So…I guess you were pretty busy in there, huh?" Kelso asked, grinning wickedly and waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Having hot stripper sex."

"Man, Kelso, shut-up," Hyde spat, already vexed by the moron's assumptions.

"You know, for a guy who's puttin' it to a stripper on a daily basis, you're pretty cranky!" Kelso informed him gruffly, "I'm starting to think you're just an angry person, Hyde!"

Sitting quietly beside Kelso, a more observant Fez thoughtfully studied his dispirited friend. "Hyde, what's the matter? You look much whiter today than usual."

The question found Hyde's ears but didn't seem to register as his eyes shifted from Kelso to Fez and back again; both of them had loved Jackie at one time, probably still did, and he was going to need their help. "Hey, lemme ask you guys something…what," Tapping his foot nervously, he smoothed his hand over the back of his neck and cleared his throat, "what has…uh…Jackie been saying…you know, about me?" Hyde's throat went dry as he waited and watched his two friends' faces gloss over with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Kelso asked as he stood up and headed for the deep freeze.

"Well…I mean, has she said anything about me?"

Oblivious to the sincerity in his friend's voice, Kelso snickered while he searched the freezer thoroughly. "Uh, do death threats count?" he joshed, popping up with an orange popsicle that he immediately shoved in his mouth. It was all Hyde needed to hear to bring him back to reality. Since waking up, lingering voices from his dream had been telling him that Jackie could forgive him, maybe even love him again, but the truth was…he had blown it.

"Shut-up, Kelso" Fez barked, rolling his eyes. "That's not all she says... Although she has wished some pretty violent deaths upon you," he admitted, turning regretfully toward Hyde. "But mostly…she just cries." There was a long break of silence, a rare calm that filled the basement that left Hyde thinking. She'd been crying, over him, just like in his dream… _I need you so much, Steven. Please don't leave me…_ "She cries a lot," the foreigner added purposefully, "especially after she leaves here."

Carrying all of her belongings in a large suitcase, Sam entered the room, stopping briefly at the door to gaze expectantly at Hyde. "Well, I'm…I'm all packed."

"Good," Hyde replied, glancing up at the biggest mistake he ever made. She seemed to be waiting for something, a word from him telling her to…stay. As he watched the hope disappear from the blonde's eyes, he couldn't help but remember that last day with Jackie… _I'm going._ _Unless… unless, Steven, there's something you'd like to say, in which case, I'm listening… _Everyone's attention rested on him as he sat motionless in his chair, somewhat lost in the evocative memories that his dream/nightmare had induced. "Bye Sam," he muttered, more than aware that she was still waiting. He heard her huff, making her disappointment clear as she walked out of the basement and out of his life.

"What the hell, Hyde! Now who's gonna flash us when we're bored?" Kelso bellyached.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Fez smacked Kelso on the arm. "My goddess has been so sad since all this happened. Hyde did the right thing, sending the stripper away." Turning to his curly-haired friend, Fez sought reassurance. "You did send her away, right?" he whispered, hope laced deep within his stifled breath.

Hyde smiled slightly at Fez, thankful that at least one of his moron friends still cared about Jackie. "Yeah, Fez. She's gone." Sighing with relief, Fez relaxed into his seat and smiled at Kelso, who was busy gathering circle paraphernalia in support of his newly single friend. Still thinking about his dream, Hyde sat back in his chair, gratefully accepting a joint from Kelso and taking a large hit. It felt like his brain was clear for the first time in over a month…he had been so focused on hurting Jackie, he had barely thought about the fact that he had been punishing her for nothing. He had given up on her when she needed him most and wondered if she had given up on anything. Her optimism seemed boundless at times, but lately she looked so…beaten...and alone, abandoned by those with whom she had placed her unconditional faith. Looking over at his friends, Hyde frowned slightly as they laughed and talked together. Maybe it was natural that his perverted friends would love having a stripper around…but what was beginning to bother him was Donna. In a situation like this, she should have taken Jackie's side; he could've respected that. But he remembered something that Kelso had told him earlier that afternoon at the mall…

* * *

_As the three boys left the record store with the new Floyd album, Kelso talked excitedly about his chance to win Led Zeppelin tickets and what a great burn it would be to tell Eric that he had missed the concert. _

_"Speaking of great burns," Kelso added, "did you hear what happened last night when Donna had Jackie and Sam over?" Hyde cocked his head to the side in curiosity. Sam hadn't actually mentioned the night, and he had wondered if Jackie and Sam had had some sort of blow up. "Donna totally chose Sam over Jackie! She loved the powder blue Trans Am and then made this big deal about how she didn't know why she was even friends with Jackie!" _

_"Ai, Kelso…that is not funny. Jackie came to me and cried so much after that. My poor goddess feels like she has no friends left." Fez pouted for Jackie's sake before turning to Hyde. "Sorry," he whispered, not wanting to hurt Hyde's feelings. _

_Hyde just nodded his head, hiding his reaction to the story. He should be happy that Donna approved of his wife…so he wondered why it bugged him so much. During that horrible summer after the nurse, Jackie had cried on Donna's shoulder for months, and now Donna was just abandoning her after only a few weeks of Sam's presence. He'd always known that Donna had something of a mean streak, but that was just bitchy beyond forgiveness…especially after Jackie had paid for part of her engagement ring and talked her out of her irrational anger towards Eric on numerous occasions. _

_And why…because of Sam's Trans Am? God, she had whored herself off to Kasey Kelso for the same reason. Swallowing down the irrational anger he felt, Hyde reminded himself that it was good that Donna was on his side and just continued to follow his friends to the mall, blocking out thoughts of Jackie that inevitably came as he walked through her favorite place… _

* * *

Separating himself from his chair, Hyde began to pace anxiously, pumping himself up for his second step. He was going to need all the adrenaline he could muster. "Hyde, man. I'm starting to think you're having an off day," Kelso astutely observed as he watched his friend stride from one side of the room to the other. "You kick your stripper wife out, you're asking crazy questions about Jackie and you haven't even asked me about my new shirt." 

Clearly lost in his own world, Hyde stopped and turned to his friends, his face beaming with hope and determination as he spoke. "Man, I think I'm gonna try and get Jackie back." Turning to each other, Kelso and Fez could not help but laugh at their friend's blind audacity. Hyde was confused. "What?"

"Yeah, ok," Kelso mocked, snickering and smiling at Fez. "Lots of luck with that, Hyde," Fez simply smiled back and shook his head. "You be sure to let us know how that goes!"

"Man, what's so funny?!"

"Hyde," Fez condescendingly began as he turned in his seat to find Hyde's befuddled expression. "Now I may not be as smooth with the ladies as Kelso here…" Kelso grinned arrogantly at the mention. "But I do know that they do not like being replaced by strippers."

"Yeah. That's true," Kelso confirmed sincerely. "Oh! And they also don't like it when you try to sleep with their mothers either, which is a damn shame in Jackie's case."

Irritated with the tactlessness of his friend, Hyde lost his temper. "Kelso, will you shut up! I'm about ready to kick your ass! You know what… screw this. I don't care what you idiots think. Jackie… she's… forgiving, you know. And she'll just be happy that I got rid of Sam… maybe… and then… we'll… Crap, I'm so screwed." Hyde began to pace again.

Kelso nodded excitedly. "YEP! But it's gonna be _hilarious_ to watch you grovel and try to explain away dumping her for a stripper! Can we come?"

"No! And I didn't dump her for a stripper! I caught her with you," Hyde shouted, recalling up his anger on the matter. This whole thing had started with Kelso in that god-damned towel. "That's it! Get up! I'm kicking your ass!"

Suddenly flustered, Kelso began to fidget in his seat, preparing an escape through the backdoor if need be. "Wait! You already punched me and you said you were done!"

"Well, I was wrong! Now get up!"

Fez stepped in between his friends, mediating to prevent what he was sure would be an unfair fight. "Okay! Enough you two! Hyde, maybe you should just focus on Jackie right now. Kicking Kelso's ass, although very satisfying and quite fun to watch, is not going to help you get her back!"

Nodding curtly, Hyde inhaled deeply and worked to calm himself down. Fez was right; he had plenty of time to kick the idiot's ass. But Jackie couldn't wait, not anymore. Hell, _he_ couldn't wait. The need to feel her, to hold and kiss her, to be inside her, was overwhelming. The chance of her taking him back was slim, he knew, but he also knew that at the very least, he had to try. So, without another word, he grabbed his coat and stepped out into the cold Wisconsin air, eventually settling into his car. He sat for several minutes as the El Camino idled, rationally doubting the voice in his head that told him to go after Jackie—that told him that she could ever forgive him for the pain he had so callously inflicted upon her. He worried that his faith in that dream, in her words, was fucking ludicrous and that he would only make a fool of himself. And he suspected that the Jackie of his dreams only told him the things he wanted to hear, probably not the things she would actually say. Or would she? Feeling discouraged, Hyde smoothed his palms over his face. It was times like these that he would have turned to Eric, or, at least, Eric would have sensed his anguish and turned to him. As he backed out of the Forman driveway, it occurred to Hyde that he had been missing his oldest friend earlier that day at the mall, too…

* * *

_Hyde held his breath as the group walked by Halverson's Department Store, sparing a quick glance at the tuxes and wedding gowns on display in the front. He remembered vividly how beautiful Jackie had looked in her wedding gown on that day well over a year ago. How funny, he thought, that he remembered that day better than he remembered his real wedding. Jackie had looked so radiant, and he had wanted more than anything to follow her into that dressing room. Why hadn't he gone in there, he wondered to himself. _

_Then there was later that night, when he and Eric had talked briefly about Jackie and wedding things, after the skinny boy had been charmed by her Sugar Daddies and frank honesty. Eric had told him that maybe Jackie wasn't really so bad…maybe she was actually really nice when she wanted to be. That was the first time he could remember his friend expressing such real approval for his girlfriend, the first time anyone had truly admitted that maybe Jackie and Hyde complemented each other well. The memory made him smile, but also hit him with a pang of sadness, since both Eric and Jackie were absent from his life now, replaced with a stripper, two perverts, and a once red headed whore who couldn't think of anything nice to say about her best friend. But he was better without Jackie, he told himself again. They were both better off now. _

_Rolling his eyes, Hyde watched as Kelso jumped around in front of a pet store, looking in at some dogs playing together. He followed his friends inside, irritated at having to look at a bunch of cute, fluffy creatures with big eyes that seemed to beg for love. They all reminded him of Jackie, and that was too much to bear at the moment. He figured maybe he'd head back to the reptiles and watch a snake eat some cute, fluffy little creatures. Maybe that would make him feel better…_

* * *

The El Camino screeched to a stop outside the Burkhart residence, and he knew that the absence of Pam's pink Lincoln meant Jackie was home alone. Feeling suddenly nervous, Hyde climbed out of his car and started down the long walkway to the front door. 

He remembered how angry he had been at Jackie's insistence on a marriage proposal…but really, was that what she was asking for? Thinking back to the way she had always looked at him, eyes full of trust and love and hope, Hyde knew that all she had ever wanted was some reassurance that her feelings were returned. And marriage was how Jackie Burkhart imagined that a man expressed his love. But damn, she had settled for a foil wrapped burger instead of a silver locket; what had given him the idea that she wouldn't have been perfectly happy with an honest declaration of his feelings?

The saddest thing, he thought, was that he had always known what Jackie really wanted from him, but he had been too afraid to give it. Or maybe too much of a jackass. He had always expected her to love him unconditionally, always expected her to be faithful, always expected her to make him feel loved and wanted. But somehow, he had convinced himself that it was unreasonable of her to expect the same in return. That was the real reason that he had stayed married to Sam, he supposed. It had nothing to do with honoring fucking marriage vows, it was just that there were none of these scary feelings involved…she got him beer and she put out and that's all he cared about. Maybe he had tricked himself into thinking that if they stayed married, he wouldn't be like Bud, running out on his responsibilities… The memory of his mother's derisive laughter at what he had made of his life haunted him...wasn't marrying a whore he didn't love the first step on the path to becoming Bud?

All these thoughts swirled in his head as he rang Jackie's doorbell, and when the door flew open a few seconds later he felt his stomach turn to mush at the sight of a teary eyed Jackie.

"Oh god, Jackie," he began, almost breaking down at the sight of her, alive and well and just as beautiful as he remembered. Mesmerized by her features, he couldn't stop staring, soaking her in while she simply stared back at him coldly, seemingly angry at his presence. But he couldn't help it. She was so gorgeous that he almost didn't care if she took him back; he was just happy to see that she was alright. Or so he thought.

"What do you want, Steven?"

"I just wanna talk to you," he replied quietly, fighting the urge to just pull her into his arms and kiss her right there. She had been dead, gone from his life and God, how he had missed her and the way she could make him feel. It took everything he had not to submit to his temptations.

Jackie grimaced, convinced that there was a catch. "For what? To tell me that I'm ruined? To remind me that I have no job and no boyfriend? Or to flaunt your whore in my face?" A thick tear dropped freely from her bottom lash, leaving Hyde with a painful sting between his eyes; he had done this to her. He had done and said all those things she was accusing him of. "Well, no thanks! I've already heard it all!" she shouted and nearly slammed the door in his face before he caught it with his hand.

"Jackie. Will you _please_ just talk to me?" His heart pumping furiously in his chest, Hyde waited for her response, desperate to be let inside and forgiven—anxious to put all of this behind them and start over. "Look. I'm sorry, okay. I didn't…I'm an asshole…And I'm so fucking sorry, Jackie. She's gone…" Hyde hesitated as her eyes narrow suspiciously.

"Oh," Jackie muttered as she thought over what her ex-boyfriend was doing on her front porch and what in the hell he was trying to tell her exactly. "Alright, so let me get this straight: Your whore left you and now you want me back and I'm so stupid that I'll say yes? Does that about cover it, Steven?"

"No. Jackie, I told her to go…" Hyde paused, swallowing down his insecurities; he hadn't really thought this whole thing through, and, as he had feared, she wasn't impressed by the gesture. Her arms were folded, and that look she usually had, the one he had learned to find comfort in, that told him he was loved and always would be, was missing from her face. "Look. I don't know what to say to you, Jackie. I…I messed up, okay…really bad this time. I know. It wasn't…it wasn't alright. But, can you just…let me in so we can talk about it?" he asked, making a subtle move toward her.

Thrusting her body into the space her open door provided, Jackie seemed to come to life, her eyes practically glowing with hatred for the man that was invading her porch. "No! No, you can't! You had your chance with me! But you thought it would be funnier to give to some whore what I've been trying to earn for _years_: YOU!" she screamed, finally breaking down into tears of anger that she stubbornly wiped away. "Your stupid love! It was all I ever wanted and you gave it to a stranger who doesn't even love you…not the way I did," she added frostily. "So no…you can't just come in. In fact, I think you should leave."

Unwilling to let her anger dissuade him, Hyde tried to push through the wall she had built around herself, the one he had provided every fucking brick for. "Jackie, I was pissed off, okay. I thought you had cheated on me!"

"Oh. You mean like how you had cheated on me? Wow, cause I know when you slept with that nurse, I ran right out and had sex with the first person **I** saw! Oh wait, NO, I DIDN'T!" Her words cut through his sturdy exterior and tore a hole in his false illusions of her; she wasn't the weak girl he expected to open that door. "Get off my porch!"

"No," he stubbornly replied, folding his arms in defiance. "I won't."

"Don't you get it, Steven? This isn't your choice anymore. I'm not yours to take or throw away, so just go and screw your Las Vegas slut and leave me alone!"

She had broken through, leaving him disconcerted as he dropped his arms and shifted his feet into a staunch position. "But I don't want her, Jackie!"

"Yeah? Well you did when you wanted to hurt me. What did you think, Steven? That I was just gonna forget how you paraded her around in front of me? Kissing her and _smirking_ at me when you were about to have sex with her?" Jackie's voice was crumbling as she spoke but she pushed through it fearlessly. "God, don't you have a heart at all? Do you have any idea how that felt?"

"Yeah. I think I do, Jackie."

"No, you don't! You'll _never_ know what it's like to see the person you love…touching and…wanting someone else. It hurts, Steven. It killed me!"

"I know what it's like, Jackie," Hyde told her as the disturbing images of her and Kasey Kelso continued to torture his thoughts. "You have no idea what I saw."

"What? You don't know _anything_! Just leave!"

"No," he quietly refused and took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to figure out what in the hell it was she needed to hear. He remembered what her dreamed-up counterpart had told him just one hour before. "Jackie… I love you… and… I miss you and I know you miss me. Well, at least I hope you do."

Shaking her head with disgust, Jackie backed up, her hand still planted protectively on the door knob. "Well, I_ did…_Steven. But I don't anymore. And I don't love you. All you are is pain and hurt and disappointment."

"Fine," he accepted sadly, "But, I still love you," he stubbornly reiterated, holding in the pain her words were causing. "And I know you love me; you're just pissed off."

Jackie shook her head. "No… I don't," she said matter-of-factly. "And I don't care if you love me, Steven. Your love is worthless…it only shows itself after you've screwed up. And that's not love. That's desperation." She watched him flinch and accept the hateful truths she threw at him. And although nothing in the world would've compared to being able to hurl her body at him and take his pain away, she couldn't; he had made sure of that with his cruelty. "Just go away, Steven. I don't want you here anymore." As Hyde stared into the empty space between them, exhausted from defeat, Jackie locked herself back inside her house, leaving him without her once again.

"I'm sorry," he muttered to the Fall wreath that hung on her closed front door. Somewhere deep inside, he had always just assumed that he could have her back anytime he wanted, that the choice was always his to make for the both of them. But it wasn't. She didn't want him anymore and it made him wish for sleep, to go back and find comfort in the girl who promised him otherwise. She had been so wrong; there was no forgiveness left, no more love, no more chances, and only he was to blame. Part of him wanted to hate her for it, but he couldn't. Instead he smiled weakly, right there on her front porch; he was so proud of her for standing up for herself when no one else would. The girl was stronger than he would have ever imagined she could be. So, conceding victory to her—beaten and crushed by a hundred pound girl—Hyde walked away, unaware that on the other side of that door, Jackie lay curled in a ball, crying her heart out and wishing she could take it all back, still madly in love with him.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later…

Hyde stood under the hot spray of the Forman's shower, wishing that the water would wash away the lingering sting of rejection. Jackie had been so firm, so final, in her rebuff, that he felt all chances of a happy ending totally crushed under his despair. He thought back to the Jackie in his dream, so full of forgiveness and love even after he had done something so horrible to her, and he knew that he had killed that part of the real Jackie. What was worse, though, was that he had done it cruelly and methodically, parading Sam around just as she had accused. He was the last person in the world that deserved forgiveness, but at the same time he knew that the man who had been so cruel and thoughtless was gone. He would never hurt her like that again…never do anything that would separate them again.

Like a beacon of hope, one image seemed to lodge itself in his mind. Jackie, dressed in that wedding dress at Halverson's, glowing with radiant beauty even under the ugly neon lights in the store. He would have given anything now, he thought, to see her dressed like that just for him…at their wedding.

Suddenly, he knew exactly what he had to do. Sure, the odds were against him, but he wasn't going to let Jackie go without a real fight.

* * *

One hour later…

Hyde walked out of the mall's jewelry store fingering a blue velvet box and wondering what Jackie's reaction would be. Judging from their earlier encounter, it was hard to tell, but in the end, he knew what he had to do. As he walked towards the mall entrance, he passed a large glass window and looked in at all the furry faces staring out at him from the pet store. One familiar set of beady eyes and a twitching pink nose seemed to call to him, and he detoured into the store, thinking back to earlier in the day when he and Fez and Kelso had come in…

* * *

_"Oh, look at this fluffy white bunny!" Fez exclaimed, clapping his hands with glee as he looked at the fat fur ball._

_"Hey, it has a pot leaf on its ear!" Kelso smiled widely as he pointed at the brown shape on the fuzzy ear._

_"Are you boys interested in a rabbit?" A kindly old lady who worked at the store approached them, clearly pleased at Fez's enthusiasm. "You probably don't want that one; she's pregnant," the lady explained as she picked up the bunny and showed them her distended stomach. "She should give birth to her kittens in a few days time." _

_"Hey! Bunnies can have kittens? I always thought they laid eggs," Kelso nodded thoughtfully to himself as the lady gave him a strange look. _

_"No, young man, rabbits are mammals and give birth to live young, and it so happens that a new born rabbit is known as a kitten." She turned her attention away from Kelso and looked back at Fez, who seemed to be deep in thought. _

_"I should get her for Jackie," he said, mostly to himself. "She has been so sad lately, and you know, I bet baby bunnies would cheer her up since she was…" Fez turned to Hyde bashfully. "Sorry, Hyde," he whispered. He wanted to stay firmly in the middle when it came to Hyde and Jackie, but it was so difficult when Hyde was being such a jerk. "It's not your fault…" _

_"What do you mean it's not his fault?!" Kelso interjected, starting to laugh as the old lady set down the rabbit and walked away, not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation. "Staying married to that stripper was, like, the harshest burn, like, ever! I know we said "we" ruined her, Hyde," Kelso turned his attention to the curly haired man, "but seriously, I can't believe how far you've taken it! You could've slept with her best friend and it wouldn't have been as bad! You've practically **killed** her, man! I mean, even **I** would have dumped the stripper and tried to work things out with Jackie by now!" Kelso continued laughing as he watched two dogs play fight in a small pen. _

_Hyde just stood silently as his friends talked and wandered the pet store, trying not to think about Jackie. He was better off without her in his life…he was sure of it. Jackie had been nothing but unreasonable and demanding. He tried to tell himself that, but what sat with him most was that she had also been loving and faithful, so unlike him. The reality was… he didn't deserve her…_

* * *

Another hour later…

Hyde rang the doorbell at Jackie's house for the second time that day, nervously shifting on his feet as he held the familiar white rabbit, a tiny sachet tied around her neck that held the best engagement ring he could afford. He didn't think he had ever done something so stupid and silly, but at the same time, he had a hard time caring about all that. He had a lot to make up to Jackie, and it was about time he accept that it was _he_ who was lucky to have _her_.

The door opened, revealing Jackie, still disheveled and pale from crying.

"Jackie," Hyde began, taking a step towards the door.

"I said NO, Steven!" she screamed at him as she slammed the door in his face, sending thrills of intense pain through his nose. At the sound of his sob of pain, Jackie threw the door back open, horrified to see her former lover's face covered in blood. "Oh, Steven," she whispered, wanting more than anything to take joy in his pain, but finding herself unable to do anything other than grab his hand and lead him into the kitchen. She cursed herself for being weak, but she had accepted long ago that Steven Hyde would always be her greatest weakness. It seemed no matter what he did, she couldn't shake the love she held for him.

Hyde sat on a barstool in shock as Jackie tenderly cleaned up his face, gently touching his nose as she worked.

"I don't think it's broken," she told him softly as she threw away the bloodied paper towels that littered her counter. Hyde's eyes followed her worried form as it fluttered around the kitchen.

"Why are you being so nice to me…after everything?" he asked, looking down at the floor.

"It doesn't make me feel better to hurt you, Steven." Jackie looked him in the eye as she spoke. "I wish it did, sometimes, since it seems to work so well for you." She rolled her eyes, trying to cover up the emotion behind the statement, putting up the toughest front she could now that Hyde had invaded her home.

"No, Jackie…it never makes me feel better. Baby, I already told you. I'm sorry…"

"It's a little late for that now, don't you think?" she asked, still standing across the room as he watched her.

"No, please don't say that, Jackie," he whispered, dropping his gaze to the floor. "I love you," he said quietly, "and I want to be with you."

Jackie still seemed so angry at those words, though. "Why couldn't you say that before I left for Chicago, then? Why do you only say it when you've cheated on me? I mean, why should I even believe that you mean it?!"

"I was being a dick, Jackie, and I'm so sorry, but I _do_ mean it." The fluffy rabbit shifted in his arms, and Jackie seemed to notice her for the first time.

"What's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh. Her name is Miss Zeppelin… I… I got her for you." He could barely look her in the eyes as he said it, but Jackie smiled slightly and walked towards him, always a sucker for presents. "She's pregnant," Hyde explained as he showed her the distended stomach. "I thought you would… you know." He blushed as Jackie took the rabbit from him. "No one wanted her and I thought…you might."

"Oh my God," Jackie squealed, carefully pulling her new pet into her arms, "She's gonna have baby bunnies! I _love_ teeny-weeny, witty-bitty baby bunnies!" she cooed as the rabbit twitched her nose, trying to catch the scent of her new owner. Then, Jackie had a thought and made a strange face at Hyde. "Why _'_Miss Zeppelin'?"

"Uh, that's what the lady at the store called her," Hyde lied, refusing to admit that he had dreamt of the rabbit and taken quite a liking to her. He shrugged dismissively. "It's what she answers to: Miss Z."

"Missy?"

"No, Miss _Z," _Hyde repeated, over-enunciating the Z. "I mean, you can change it if you want."

"No, I like it," Jackie finally said, eyeing him distrustfully. "You know, Steven. I hope you don't think that a little bunny is gonna…"

"Hey…she's got something on her neck," Hyde interrupted, feigning ignorance as he pointed to the small pink sachet hidden beneath Miss Z's thick fur. "Look. Right here." Unable to control himself, Hyde grinned affectionately when Jackie took the bait and set the small animal down on the counter, furrowing her brows in honest curiosity; she was so beautiful.

"What do you have here, Bunny? Oh, I mean…Miss Z," Jackie corrected, glancing at Hyde, who simply confirmed with a nod. As she fiddled with the knot that held the pouch closed, she continued to nervously sneak peeks at her ex. It was so strange being in the same room with him again and to not feel that wretched pain that she had come to know so well over the past few weeks. Instead, she was feeling the nervous butterflies of a smitten school girl. Although, she still didn't trust him; he was up to something. And as she tugged on pink satin strings, she finally figured out what. Two of Hyde's thick fingers reached into the tiny bag and pulled out a sparkling diamond engagement ring and before she could comprehend what was happening, Hyde was on his knees.

"Jackie…"

"No, Steven. Don't."

"Will you please just listen," he begged, his eyes pleading for a chance, "and then I'll leave… if you still want me to."

"Fine," she muttered, her exhausted eyes filling with tears. Taking a deep breath, Hyde nodded and then swallowed nervously; buying time as he tried to remember the speech he had planned on the car ride over. But he couldn't; the pressure was too much. "Steven?"

"I forgot what I wanted to say," he admitted ruefully and watched her move away in a huff. "No, wait," he said, grabbing hold of her hand and standing up to face her. "Look, Jackie. I screwed up. And…I know I should've fixed it right away, but I didn't think you'd just take me back and I was too stubborn to try. But…I was so fucking pissed at you…"

"Pissed at _me_?!"

"Yes, Jackie! Now, let me finish!" he demanded, mindful of the glare she was giving him. "I need to say something before I lose my god damn nerve, okay?" Grabbing her arms, he held her in place, determined to make the most of his final chance with her. It was all they had left: this night, he was sure of it. "I was angry about Kelso, okay, and I did what I promised I would never do again: I got pissed and cheated. And then she showed up and I thought we were married, and it got all fucked up…" Upon her look, he repeated himself, "Yeah, _thought, _we're not, and I…I treated you like shit cause…I guess … I don't know why."

"I know why. It's cause you're an asshole, Steven!" she shouted in his face, feeling strangely dissatisfied as he nodded; admitting she was right. "And okay, maybe I do love you but I can't take you back. Don't you get it Steven? You screwed everything up. If I take you back now, then you'll just think that it's alright to cheat on me. And I can't take it anymore."

"I won't. And I know I said that before but…" Before her eyes, Hyde seemed to panic, fidgeting and squeezing his hands into fists before finally looking her in the eye and smiling. Jackie's body betrayed her by smiling back slightly. She couldn't help it. He looked so at peace and so happy as his eyes danced between hers. "You're the one I wanna be with, Jackie. My whole life." His eyes fell down to the bunny that sat staring at them from her perch on the counter; his hand smoothed over her white fur. "Jackie…" he began quietly, taking a deep breath and turning to her again. "Will you marry me?"

Shocked, Jackie scanned the world around herself; it seemed to be spinning and she wondered if this was all really happening. Looking at him, it was difficult to believe that this was the same person who had been so cruel to her and had scowled at her with a seething hate only two days before. Because now, his eyes were so alive and loving that she began to cry. And through her clouded vision, she stared down at the ring that sat so firmly in his shaking hands; it was everything she'd ever wanted and he was all she had ever been waiting for. "Please, baby. I'm gonna spend my whole life making this go away for you …even if you don't take me back. But I'm asking you to, Jackie. I know you probably don't believe me, but I need you."

"Steven…" She wasn't sure what to say, scared to death to admit that she needed him, too, and missed and wanted him more then any human being should ever miss or want another. Plus, she was still so angry at him and the clash of emotions was frustrating, especially with him waiting so anxiously in front of her.

"Jackie," he whispered, laying the ring on the counter and cupping her face gently in his hands. "I missed you so much."

"Steven, I don't…" Before she could finish her thought, Hyde captured her lips with his own, ignoring the way her hands rose to his chest, trying to push him away. His hands slid from her face down her torso to cup her ass, pulling her body flush against his and kneading the soft flesh as they kissed. Even as her hands continued in a half-hearted attempt to push him away, Jackie returned his kiss, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue access to the warm cavern.

Something in Jackie's head screamed at her to stop this madness…Hyde had hurt her before, surely this was a terrible idea. But as his hands rubbed over her body and his lips moved so sensually against hers, all thoughts of objection seemed to evaporate as the overwhelming need for him took over. Before she knew what she was doing, she gave up all forms of protest and wrapped her arms around his neck, losing herself in the kiss she thought she would never feel again.

When Jackie moaned against his lips at the feeling of his erection rubbing against her stomach, he felt his lingering control slip away. As his kisses grew rougher and more urgent, Jackie grew more responsive in his arms, clearly giving herself over to the need she had for him.

"Jesus, baby," Hyde whimpered as he felt Jackie's hands smooth down his back and dip into the waist of his low riding jeans. He pulled her smaller body more tightly against his, savoring the way she felt against him. He wasn't sure what would happen when this was all over; all he could think about was that he needed her like he'd never needed another person. When Jackie moaned slightly at the sensations of his fingers brushing over her denim-clad core, Hyde wasted no time lifting her small body a few inches off the floor and carrying her to the kitchen table.

Hyde set Jackie onto the hard, sturdy wood of the table before hastily stripping off her sweater and pulling down her jeans and panties at once. The thought of her arousal overwhelmed his senses, filling him with a need and desire that no other woman had ever matched. Pushing her back against the table, he pried her thighs apart and leaned forward to bury his face in her delicate folds.

All Jackie could do was moan loudly as Hyde worked his nimble tongue over her clit while he held her thighs wide open, leaving her fully exposed. Writhing wildly against him, Jackie panted loudly at her approaching orgasm only to be disappointed as Hyde pulled back, leaving her unfulfilled.

"Steven, please," she groaned as Hyde stepped away and the cool air of the kitchen washed over her naked body. The metallic zip of his lowering fly filled her with anticipation; her body almost shook as she lay exposed on the table. When his naked body lowered over hers a moment later, brushing bare flesh over bare flesh, she gasped at the feeling of warmth that surrounded her.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear. The low rumbling tone sent shudders of pleasure through her body, and the ease and sincerity with which he uttered the words filled her with warmth. "Only you, Jackie." With that, he guided his aching erection into her wetness, groaning at how tight and hot and perfect she felt as he moved into her in slow, shallow thrusts. They held eye contact as he pushed into her, but at the feeling of complete penetration, Jackie's eyes squeezed shut and she threw her head back in pleasure. Hyde shuddered as her inner muscles squeezed around him, growing accustomed to the feeling of him after so long, and he stayed still, happy to just enjoy the sensation of being with her.

"Baby," she moaned up at him, thrusting her hips upwards and silently begging him to move. He couldn't hold back his smirk at the unbridled desperation in her eyes, and he began slow movements of his hips, building a burning fire in her abdomen that grew with every thrust. "God… Faster, Steven," she whimpered, wrapping her legs around his hips and bucking towards him as he readily complied.

Her naked back rubbed against the cool wood of the table as his thrusts gained speed, irritating her delicate skin. She hardly noticed, though; her whole being was entirely focused on the man driving her towards completion with every movement of his hips. Sinking her teeth into Hyde's shoulder, Jackie muffled a loud screech as her orgasm tore through her body.

The stab of pain in his shoulder nearly sent Hyde over the edge, but he held it in, clenching his teeth as Jackie's muscles pulsed with liquid heat around him. As soon as her shudders stopped, Hyde pulled out and flipped her over, driving into her heat again as she lay face down on the table. His hips nearly slammed into hers as he thrust against her, his movements becoming jerky and uncoordinated as she began to convulse against him again while a second orgasm burned through her body. One final thrust sent him over the edge, and he erupted inside her, calling her name loudly before collapsing on top of her.

Slowly, they slid onto the floor, still wrapped around each other as they panted.

"Marry me," he whispered as his breathing calmed down, and he reached for the ring on the counter, sliding it onto her outstretched finger. "Please, Jackie."

"Steven... I love you," she confessed, her eyes tearing with emotion. "But if you ever…" He cut her off before she could continue.

"Jackie," he stared into her eyes, "I won't, baby. I love you. I know that now." She smiled at the words, and especially at the way he spoke them so openly and sweetly.

"It'll take time, you know, to get back to normal," she told him, staring down at the floor. "We've been through a lot, and… I just…"

"You can have all the time you need, Jackie," he whispered to her, holding her tightly against him as a sense of peace swept over his body.

"Hey," Jackie pointed towards the counter where Miss Z was sitting, staring down at the sweaty couple. "Do you think it's alright for her to be watching us do it like that?"

Hyde laughed openly at her question, wrapping his arms more firmly around her as she curled into him. "Yeah, I think it's gonna be alright..."

Steven Hyde + Jackie Burkhart

Forever

The End.

And that's how you do that! So fuck you, season eight writers!

* * *

**A/N2: **Please keep your hands inside the roller coaster as it slowly comes to a stop. We hope you enjoyed the ride, those of you who didn't fall off or jump out screaming, and thank you so much for having faith in us. We truly appreciate it and we really hope you enjoyed it, at least at some point because we had a lot of fun writing it. And finally…Reviews are better than Naked Hyde proposing to Naked Jackie in front of a white, fluffy, pregnant bunny rabbit. 

Well, goodbye folks. This is gah-linda and luvcali76 signing off…


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